What a delightful way to tell the story of the Boston Tea Party! With cumulative stanzas that begin with "These are the leaves that grew on a bush in a far-off land and became part of the Boston Tea Party," all the way to "These are Americans, independent and free, who honor the soldiers who fought for freedom remembering the tea chests, 340 in number,…"

Four small mice also appear on each page with ballooned captions that sometimes give additional information - "Hurrah! The sons of Liberty will know what to do." They also inject some humor with one mouse always concerned about the cheese - "Make sure you don't dump any cheese by mistake!" The mice hold the year placards on the final pages that give a timeline of events from 1763 - 1783.

Cole's illustrations are appropriately colorful yet factual in their portrayals. He elicits the mood of the scene even in the background chosen; there is a bleakness in the background of the secretive planning meeting but a deep blue background with fireworks at the end when Americans are celebrating their freedom. Cole and Edwards make a good team for children's books.