George Washington's Spectacular Spectacles

The Glasses That Saved America

Illustrated by Jenn Harney
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Hardcover
$18.99 US
On sale Jan 21, 2025 | 32 Pages | 9781662680434

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Did you know that George Washington had a secret? He wore glasses! While initially embarrassed by his reliance on this reading aid, Washington’s spectacles proved to be nothing short of spectacular in this charming, funny, and little-known picture book story from American history.

The Revolutionary War was over, but Washington’s officers had not received their wages from the Continental Congress in years. Afraid they would never get their money, the officers planned to storm Congress and demand it right away. Luckily, George Washington found out about the plot just in time. He delivered a passionate speech to his men, but they were unaffected. It was only when he struggled to read aloud a letter from Congress and had to put on his glasses, that they realized how much he had sacrificed for their country along with them. The officers dropped their plan and pledged their loyalty to America and to Washington.

Selene Castrovilla’s carefully researched yet playful prose and Jenn Harney’s energetic, original illustrations bring George Washington’s more human side to life in this humorous but important story about true American loyalty.

A great read for Presidents' Day!
Selene Castrovilla fell in love with the humanity in America's history when she discovered the young Marquis de Lafayette’s passionate quest to help our nation. She is devoted to bringing hidden stories to life for young readers, revealing the real people behind our past. Visit selenecastrovilla.com. View titles by Selene Castrovilla
Jenn Harney is the illustrator for CATastrophe!: A Story of Patterns, “Smelly” Kelly and His Super Senses: How James Kelly’s Nose Saved the New York City Subway, and Probably a Narwhal. She has worked as both an author and illustrator of children’s literature for over twenty years.She lives in Cleveland, Ohio. Visit her at jkharney.blogspot.com. View titles by Jenn Harney

Educator Guide for George Washington's Spectacular Spectacles

Classroom-based guides appropriate for schools and colleges provide pre-reading and classroom activities, discussion questions connected to the curriculum, further reading, and resources.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

About

Did you know that George Washington had a secret? He wore glasses! While initially embarrassed by his reliance on this reading aid, Washington’s spectacles proved to be nothing short of spectacular in this charming, funny, and little-known picture book story from American history.

The Revolutionary War was over, but Washington’s officers had not received their wages from the Continental Congress in years. Afraid they would never get their money, the officers planned to storm Congress and demand it right away. Luckily, George Washington found out about the plot just in time. He delivered a passionate speech to his men, but they were unaffected. It was only when he struggled to read aloud a letter from Congress and had to put on his glasses, that they realized how much he had sacrificed for their country along with them. The officers dropped their plan and pledged their loyalty to America and to Washington.

Selene Castrovilla’s carefully researched yet playful prose and Jenn Harney’s energetic, original illustrations bring George Washington’s more human side to life in this humorous but important story about true American loyalty.

A great read for Presidents' Day!

Author

Selene Castrovilla fell in love with the humanity in America's history when she discovered the young Marquis de Lafayette’s passionate quest to help our nation. She is devoted to bringing hidden stories to life for young readers, revealing the real people behind our past. Visit selenecastrovilla.com. View titles by Selene Castrovilla
Jenn Harney is the illustrator for CATastrophe!: A Story of Patterns, “Smelly” Kelly and His Super Senses: How James Kelly’s Nose Saved the New York City Subway, and Probably a Narwhal. She has worked as both an author and illustrator of children’s literature for over twenty years.She lives in Cleveland, Ohio. Visit her at jkharney.blogspot.com. View titles by Jenn Harney

Guides

Educator Guide for George Washington's Spectacular Spectacles

Classroom-based guides appropriate for schools and colleges provide pre-reading and classroom activities, discussion questions connected to the curriculum, further reading, and resources.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)