The immensely talented Timothy Decker, whose two previous graphic-novel style picture-books both examined a time of great crisis in human affairs - The Letter Home is the tale of a WWI medic's missive to his son, on the home front, while Run Far, Run Fast follows the story of a young girl during the Black Death - turns his attention to the American Revolution in this third, and thus far last picture-book. His treatment of the Boston Massacre, in which five American civilians were killed by British soldiers stationed in Boston - an incident that would have great symbolic significance for the development of Patriotic sentiment, before and during the Revolution - is (to the best of my knowledge) an even-handed account, depicting the mob which threatened Private White, the arrival of reinforcements, the escalation of tension, as the crowd began hurling missiles, and the fateful shooting that resulted. It also depicts the resultant trial, in which John Adams acted as a defense attorney for the British soldiers, and concludes with a somber foreshadowing of the coming conflict...

With the same visually stunning pen-and-ink illustrations that graced Decker's first two publications, For Liberty: The Story of the Boston Massacre is a book with immense visual appeal, and given my fondness for this style of artwork, something I could happily peruse for quite a length of time. I particularly liked Decker's use of diagonal lines in some scenes, to fill in the outlines of the various figures in the mob, as this communicates the "facelessness" of hostile crowds, especially for those confronting them. I also thought that his use of shadow here was very astute, accentuating the threatening nature of some of the figures. I think this account, with its visual immediacy, would make a wonderful addition to a classroom study of the period, and could lead to some excellent discussions of the cause of the Boston Massacre, and, more generally, of the American Revolution.

In short: it's another fabulous picture-book from Timothy Decker! Now, when is book number four coming out...? ( )

In For Liberty Decker brings his wondrous eye to The Colonies in 1770. He's working in what feels like a larger format here, but on closer reflection is actually more of a zoomed in scale. His drawing is deceptively simple, and one can revisit his panels at length and be richly rewarded. The story itself is a familiar one to most of us, but is told here succinctly and with an underlying passion. The loving and lingering examination of the soldiers' uniforms is delightful, and the sudden switch to an aerial view is a beautiful underlining of the narrative. I've only been through it two or three times- I'm sure there is much more to see.

I don't love this as much as I love his first book, The Letter Home, which changed my life, but love it I do. ( )

This is picture that delves into a deep concept of the Boston Massacre, however it explains it in a simple way for children to understand without being disturbed. The pictures are all black and white crosshatched. ( )

Timothy Decker is sparse in both words and illustrations, as he delivers a serious and sobering account in black and white of colonial indignation, mob mentality, Imperial rigidity, and regimental discipline,

"The mob insulted the soldiers and dared them to fire. They pelted the soldiers with snowballs, stones, and chunks of ice.Captain Preston stood between his men and the colonists. Surely the mob would not assault a trained officer, Surely his men would not fire for rear of shooting their officer."

A simple, somber, depiction of the events that led to the Boston Massacre. Very affecting. ( )