Tricking the Tallyman by Jacqueline Davies

Davies, Jacqueline Tricking the Tallyman : The Great Census Shenanigans of 1790, illustrated by S. D. Schindler. Alfred A. Knopf, 2009. PICTURE BOOK.
When Phineas Bump rides into the small Vermont village of Tunbridge, he encounters residents who have mistaken ideas about the purpose of the first census of the United States and try to skew his count in their favor. After two counts that were first too small and then too big, the townsfolk persuade Mr. Bump to count them one last time when they learn that the census was to determine taxes and soldiers owed to the government as well as their representation in that government. The author includes one page of nonfiction information about the first census and types of questions asked.
EL – ADVISABLE. PKFoster, MS teacher-librarian.