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Rockliff, Mara

Jefferson Measures a Moose

48 pp. | Candlewick | August, 2020 | Trade ISBN 978-0-7636-9410-4 $17.99
(2) K-3 Illustrated by S. D. Schindler. Here readers see Thomas Jefferson constantly questioning the world around him as he wonders how far he can walk in an hour, or how long it takes peas to grow, or what the temperature is on a certain date. (Throughout, Schindler surrounds Jefferson with tools of his time, such as an early counter wheel, a facsimile of Jefferson's journal detailing plant growth, and a thermometer.) So, when the famous French naturalist Monsieur Buffon publishes a book declaring American animals smaller and less gifted than European ones, Jefferson the scientist recoils at the inaccuracies. And Jefferson the statesman knows that if Europeans accept America as inferior, future trade, immigration, and monetary power will be adversely affected. He combats Buffon's fabrications the only way he knows: he submits his own data (which, the back matter points out, was, if not incorrect, at times purposely misleading) and enlists colleagues to record comparative animal weights and measures. Even though Jefferson is "already quite busy with the Revolutionary War," he proves that America is home to some really big animals by shipping a moose to France--a gift Schindler depicts as arriving bedraggled and stinky. Rockliff's light touch adds humor to the tale, while Schindler's soft watercolors both mirror the text's tone and give a sense of the times. Back matter answers Jefferson's mathematical questions and includes a list of both primary and secondary sources.
Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2020

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