WHEN PAUL REVERE RODE

Follow along as Paul Revere embarks on his famous ride.

On the afternoon of April 18, 1775, a stable boy takes off “like speed is his soul / and wind is an enemy / he can defeat.” He’s running to inform Paul Revere that British soldiers are on the march. An unnamed witness confirms the news: “Yes. / It’s true. / It’s time. / It’s now.” Revere sends two friends up a ladder to flash a message from the steeple. Two more friends help him row beneath the moon to a Charlestown dock. There, Revere finds Brown Beauty—a horse loaned by his friend John Larkin—and sets off to spread the news. Meanwhile, the British cross the Charles River and eventually catch Revere. In the dawn light, a Lexington teen plays a tune of hope and courage, something “all of us can hold.” Thomson and Henderson’s unique collaboration fractures a historical moment usually attributed to one person into a broader variety of sixteen characters. Henderson’s textured illustrations beautifully evoke the low light of the evening ride, while Thomson’s fast-moving verse captures the night’s excitement. Time-stamped and written in first person, each poem begins with a note of historical context, then ends with a quote from a real person. The mixture of imagined dialogue and real facts necessitates further context, but a helpful guide to each voice rounds out the experience.

An innovative peek into the many small moments that led up to the American Revolution.