DRT Alamo and Revolution Juvenile Bibliography

The Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library issued back in 2004 a juvenile bibliography on the Alamo and the Texas Revolution. It consists of about 60 titles, 1/3 fiction and 2/3 non-fiction. The YTR thanks them for allowing the posting of those individual citations and annotations and thanks to the Library staff, especially, Elaine Davis and the list's compiler Lucy Olson. Those postings will often be supplemented with other information on the title. The bibliography's full title and introduction appears below.

THE ALAMO AND THE TEXAS REVOLUTION

An Annotated Bibliography for Parents and Teachers

Kindergarten through Grade 8

"This bibliography is intended to be a guide for parents and teachers who are teaching the history of the Alamo and the Texas Revolution. Books are the only media contained in the list, and most of them were published between 1995 and 2004. Currently available, in-print books are the focus of the bibliography; out-of-print books are included when a topic is not covered by an in-print equivalent. Features that may be of use to teachers are indicated and points that may distract from the study of history are mentioned."

Compiled by Lucie Olson, Reference Librarian

Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library at the Alamo

San Antonio, Texas

Revised May 2004

http://www.drtl.org/

Juan Seguin - Robert Hollmann

Juan Seguin. By Robert Hollmann.

Durban House, 2007. Frontier Legends Series. Paperback, 112 pages. ISBN 1-9300754-95-7 http://www.durbanhouse.com/

This Hollmann, http://www.lonestarlegends.org/., volume follows his Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie. Seguin was indeed one of the essential people in his time. Unlike his previous time-trunk and friendly dog companion, Hollmann uses a more direct device – a life-long friend of Seguin to provide the framework of the biography. And as a childish extra, Hollmannn injects the juvenile competitiveness for racing as a recurring option. The reader is introduced to Seguin’s family, long established in Texas, and within pages finds Seguin meeting Stephen Austin and a line of colonial notables important to the Texas Revolution. Seguin and his associates are concerned about Santa Anna’s aggressive manner and throw in with the developing stronger democratic tradition of the times, unlike the Seguin family’s support of the counter-revolution against Las Casas in 1811. Bowie becomes one of the favorites because of his ties to San Antonio and his marriage into the Veramendi family. Seguin commands the scouts looking for Santa Anna’s arrival. Eventually, his men become a part of the Alamo garrison, but he is detailed specifically as messenger to Sam Houston and is ultimately spared from the Alamo soldiery’s bloodbath. But Seguin continues on to become an officer at the Battle of San Jacinto after convincing Houston that his Tejano troops have earned the right to battle. After the battle, Houston asks Seguin to superintend the burial of the Alamo defenders. The volume ends there without reference to his government service thereafter or the later tragedy of Seguin’s demise partly due to prejudice. Seguin died in 1890.

Texas War of Independence - Alan Huffnes

The Texas War of Independence, 1835-1836:

From Outbreak to the Alamo to San Jacinto.

By Alan C. Huffines.

Oxford, England and New York: Osprey Publishing / Random House, 2005. Maps, photos and illus, bibliog., index.
Paperback; 96 pages; ISBN: 9781841765228, US Price: $14.95, UK Price: £9.99, Canadian Price: $21.00
http://www.alanchuffines.com/ http://www.ospreypublishing.com/ http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/

Huffines has studied, served in the military, written Blood of Noble Men: The Alamo Siege and Battle and articles, and consulted on the recent Alamo movie, the one with Dennis and Billy Bob. Here he provides a summary of the Revolution. The volume is loaded with graphics. Huffines begins with Hidalgo Revolution of 1810 but places the 1836 revolt in context: Texas was never really Spanish, only claimed and sparsely settled; it was still the northern Protestants against the southern Catholics; it’s England and Spain. But leaving all that behind he continues noting the troubled Mexican stability and nascent democratic principles until Santa Anna effects his dictatorship. The author makes a readable narrative of the usual story, but two things also stand out. One is the inserted chapter on Col. Juan Almonte, son of revolutionary Morelos, the 1834 inspector, and Santa Anna’s Chief of Staff; it’s good to drop into a bit of relative depth on the Mexican side. The other is the abundance and quality of illustrations, often large and in color; and they may take up half the space, leaving the remaining 50 pages a brisk read.

The summary could also serve as supplementary reading for 7th graders.

Davy Crockett - Robert Hollmann

Davy Crockett. By Robert Hollmann.

Dallas: Durban House, 2005. paperback 143 pages
http://durbanhouse.com/
http://www.lonestarlegends.org/
whiskeyblue@sbcglobal.net

Robert Hollmann is a West Texan, now an Odesaa barrister who teaches now and then at UT-PB; he has had seven novels published and written a play, “The Last Ball,” and was selected Best West Texas Author for 2005 in a poll conducted by The Odessa American and Hastings Book Store. Hollman uses an interesting device to present his fictionalized, but factual, biography of the Texas icon. Three youngsters, with a school lesson to be accomplished, visit the Alamo, find themselves locked in a closet where the “ghost” of Crockett appears through a magic time tunnel. The kids agree to go back with him where they’ll witness his life from an invisible status to all but the frontiersman who carries on a conversation.
The story continues in the Tennessee woods at Crockett’s homestead where his wife Polly soon dies. The children sense not just the death as a fact but also as empathetic companions, and points to where Hollmann finds some of the success of the book - the children become emotional partners of the character. Crockett acknowledges to them that he has become captured by his public legend that is different from his own real life. The author then proceeds episodically to take Crockett, and the kids, on to Washington and elsewhere, and finally to Texas and the Alamo.
As the Mexican assault troops are breaking down the doors literally, Crockett sends the children home – certainly a good thing to do, leaving the readers to wonder “how did Davy die.”

Journey to San Jacinto - Melodie Cuate

Journey to San Jacinto.

By Melodie A. Cuate.

Lubbock: Texas Tech University Press, 2007. 04/2007. 160 pages. 1 photo, 21 b/w illustrations, 1 map ISBN 0896726029 $17.95 cloth (Mr. Barrington's Mysterious Trunk Series). http://www.ttup.ttu.edu/

For those who’ve already opened the trunk on Cuate’s Alamo, you’re in for another treat on San Jacinto. Mr. Barrington can’t come to teach so his substitute is his niece. It doesn’t take long before Miss Barrington and the youngsters Hannah, Nick, and Jackie find themselves time transported again back to 1836. Cuate employs a good plot twist as the girls land in hands of Sam Houston’s supporter Juan Seguin and Nick falls into the Mexican Army and is impressed into their forces. Their parallel stories along the roads to San Jacinto lure the readers onward to the final battle where Nick is almost killed by Deaf Smith before the boy can explain his Mexican uniform. Thereafter, it’s a hunt for the magical truck and pocket watch. After a tricky re-entry to modern times, the crew finds that Miss Barrington’s 1836 Uncle David was pulled back with them. What’ll they do with Uncle David!