John, Paul, George & Ben

John, Paul, George, and…Ben? Yes, and Tom as well (although his name didn't fit in the title). The fab four are John Hancock, Paul Revere, George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin, and the fifth is Thomas Jefferson. Based on Lane Smith's 2006 picture book of the same name, John, Paul, George & Ben is an animated history-lite spoof highlighting a handful of the Founding Fathers. Paul, for example, “was a noisy lad” who liked to ring bells (“before fun was invented, people joined bell-ringing groups”), an activity that made him a bit hard of hearing and therefore prone to talk louder (which helped during his legendary midnight ride to warn the populace that the Redcoats were coming). George “was an honest lad,” who admits to his father that he chopped down a cherry tree (after not getting in trouble, George proceeds here to lay waste to the surrounding trees with his axe). Ben “was a clever lad” (prone to pithy observations such as “fish and visitors stink after three days”); Tom “was an independent lad” (who balked at schoolwork and was told to “pursue life, liberty, and happiness” in the corner as punishment); and John “was a bold lad” (as evidenced by the size of his John Hancock, affixed to Tom's Declaration of Independence). Although the mischievous Smith (noted illustrator of The Stinky Cheese Man) takes serious liberties with the facts, a bonus quiz offering a series of true/false questions sets the historical record straight (young George did not fell a cherry tree). Narrated by James Earl Jones, and featuring a winning Beatles-esque soundtrack by Scotty Huff and Robert Reynolds, John, Paul, George & Ben is an entertaining children's title—comprised of equal parts truth and nonsense—that could easily spark discussion about the genuine achievements of these American legends. Recommended. Aud: E, P. (R. Pitman)