JAMES AND THE MARQUIS

Boeglin’s nonfiction picture book tells of how an enslaved Black man and a French nobleman worked together to help turn the tide of the Revolutionary War.

The Marquis de Lafayette believes in freedom for all people, so he sails across the Atlantic Ocean to help the American colonists fight their War of Independence; there, James is in bondage, enslaved by an army-supplies contractor. When Lafayette and James meet, the marquis treats the enslaved man with respect and finds a way to recruit him to pose as a runaway and spy on the British. James later passes on information that allows Gen. George Washington to trap the British army at Yorktown. After the war, James is refused his freedom by the Virginia General Assembly; two years later, he petitions a second time, this time with Lafayette’s backing, and is successful; James will then take the surname Lafayette. Boeglin narrates the story in straightforward, informative prose, trusting in its inherent power to educate and inspire. Many youngsters may have their eyes opened, not merely by the idea of an enslaved person helping to bring about his country’s liberation, but also by the fact that James remains largely unheralded. Tsipan’s watercolor-style illustrations beautifully capture the period setting and its personalities. The book concludes with a timeline and an extensive bibliography.

An engaging piece of history for kids, long overdue.