Aaron and Alexander

A strong compare/contrast pattern introduces youngsters to founding fathers Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. Most of the information is personal: as young boys, both were orphaned; both “froze at the Army’s winter camp in Valley Forge”; and both served in the burgeoning American government. Brown also weaves in their differences: Aaron grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, while Alexander lived on a Caribbean island; a loving uncle adopted young Aaron and his sister into his large family, while a merchant adopted Alexander but not his brother. After Aaron Burr was elected a United States senator and Alexander Hamilton was appointed secretary of the treasury, they “found themselves in opposing political camps.” The politics behind the 1800 election (in which Burr ran for president) take a back seat to the personal animosity between the two. Hamilton’s biting criticism of Burr, in both this election and Burr’s later bid for governor of New York, comes off as mean-spirited, while Burr takes the derision as a blow to his self-respect. Pen and watercolor illustrations in Brown’s near-impressionistic style, often placed in adjoining frames either on one page or double-page spreads with Burr on one side and Hamilton on the other, not only re-create the setting but also strengthen the personal divide. An author’s note slightly expands the text, and a bibliography closes the book. Far from a definitive study, this brief overview admirably provides young readers with cognitive placeholders for later, more sophisticated, study of these two men. betty carter

A compare/contrast pattern introduces founding fathers Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, who "found themselves in opposing political camps." The politics behind the 1800 election (in which Burr ran for president) take a back seat to their personal animosity. Near-impressionistic pen and watercolor illustrations strengthen this divide between the men. Brown's brief overview provides young readers with placeholders for later, more sophisticated study of the men. Bib.