What Did John Hancock Do? a Historically True Story

Who is John Hancock? Did you know that as a child his mother sent him away? That when his uncle passed away, John Hancock became the wealthiest man in the colonies? Children learn all of these facts and more in this book, A Picture Book of John Hancock by David A. Adler. My daughter enjoyed reading about life long ago but every now and again would ask if he was dead? She tends to get stuck on this idea especially when reading of long ago history, that the people are not alive today.

The book starts with a picture of John Hancock signing the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776 and we learn that he wrote it big enough that the king could see it without his glasses. Then it switches to his childhood and how his mother had to send him away to live with his aunt and uncle after his father's death. His aunt and uncle were wealthy and lived in a mansion. Not having other children, they gave him the best education and John Hancock grew up to be very responsible. His uncle died which made John the wealthiest man in the colonies. Running his uncle's business he could not stand all of the taxes on goods imposed by the king. After the Boston Massacre where five people were killed, the Boston Tea Party happened where patriots dumped tea off of ships. We learn other historical facts about Hancock as well as who he married and that sadly neither of his children lived to adulthood. The last couple of pages have important dates as well as websites to visit to learn more.

This book will encourage children to work hard, dream big, and never give up. John Hancock was the picture of responsibility. The watercolor portraits seem wrinkled and faded out. This 29 page book has four to twelve lines of text every other page with a few not having any text. My daughter was more interested in Hancock's childhood than anything else. History is shortened into small paragraphs with simple language for children. Children learn more about who John Hancock was and how he lived his life including important historical dates. Recommended for ages 2nd grade and up.