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Lane Smith, the children's author/illustrator, cannot tell a lie, much like George Washington, who didn't chop down a cherry tree but probably would have fessed up if he had.
Smith confesses he took a lot of historical liberties in John, Paul, George & Ben (Hyperion, $16.99), about four troublemaking Colonial lads (Hancock, Revere, Washington and Franklin). A fifth character, independent Tom Jefferson, was "always off doing his own thing."
The book, which is aimed at readers "aged 5 to just plain aged," has an addendum titled "Taking Liberties: Wherein we set the record straight with ye olde True or False section."
For example:
*George Washington chopped down his father's cherry tree.
False. That's a fable invented by Mason "Parson" Weems, which Smith finds "pretty funny, considering he made up ye olde tale to teach kids a lesson in honesty."
*Paul was in a bell-ringing club at the Old North Church.
True. Smith adds, "We're not sure if this caused him to talk loud, but you try ringing bells non-stop for hours and see how you talk."
Smith says a few grown-ups complain that his book makes fun of Franklin and the other Founding Fathers.
That makes Smith laugh: "Franklin was the biggest prankster of all. ... Those guys had a great sense of humor." With July Fourth around the corner, "I'm just trying to make a funny book that might inspire kids to look up real history."
Smith, who won a Caldecott Honor for his illustrations in The Stinky Cheese Man, planned to call his latest book something like Yankees Doodle. But when he laid drawings of the characters on his desk, he was reminded of four other lads crossing Abbey Road. Which triggered the line, "Say, you want a revolution? Well, John, Paul, George, Ben and Tom sure did."
Smith says he didn't want to overdo the Beatles allusions. In visits to schools and libraries, he notices that younger students seem to know The Beatles better than kids in middle school, "like they skipped a generation ... And, of course, their parents know."
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