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THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR

Name: THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR
Author: Ben Thompson
ISBN: 978-0-316-32050-4

From the Guts & Glory series , Vol. 1

by Ben Thompson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 2014

An easy, breezy series opener that should help create a few new history buffs.

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Blogger and author Thompson gamely takes on the task of exciting young readers about the American Civil War.

A self-described Civil War student and re-enactor, Thompson expresses understanding for both sides in the conflict, aiming “to present courageous heroes and cowardly villains from both sides equally, showing each in their full glory without trying to pull any punches whatsoever.” While some stories are well-known, others focus on individuals who haven’t received much attention, such as Confederate spy Belle Boyd and other women who assisted the efforts of each army. While the author does not dwell on it, the role of slavery is discussed, and the efforts of African-Americans to both serve and fight are included. The book’s greatest strength is its colloquial storytelling. The short chapters and extensive use of sidebars are designed to attract reluctant readers, while the breezy, sometimes-humorous style makes the history accessible. Thompson’s passion for his subject is infectious. The many illustrations, photographs and archival material supplement the narrative. A thorough index will help researchers, but the material and delivery is better suited to recreational reading. There is an extensive bibliography but no source notes for chapter epigraphs or those quotes included in the text. Final art not seen.

An easy, breezy series opener that should help create a few new history buffs. (Nonfiction. 8-12)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 2014

ISBN: 978-0-316-32050-4

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2014

Categories:

CHILDREN'S BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR | CHILDREN'S HISTORY

- BOOK REVIEW
THE WRIGHT BROTHERS
by Ben Thompson & Erik Slader ; illustrated by Tim Foley

- BOOK REVIEW
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
by Ben Thompson

IF YOU LIVED DURING THE PLIMOTH THANKSGIVING

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IF YOU LIVED DURING THE PLIMOTH THANKSGIVING

by Chris Newell ; illustrated by Winona Nelson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 2, 2021

Essential.

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A measured corrective to pervasive myths about what is often referred to as the “first Thanksgiving.”

Contextualizing them within a Native perspective, Newell (Passamaquoddy) touches on the all-too-familiar elements of the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving and its origins and the history of English colonization in the territory now known as New England. In addition to the voyage and landfall of the Mayflower, readers learn about the Doctrine of Discovery that arrogated the lands of non-Christian peoples to European settlers; earlier encounters between the Indigenous peoples of the region and Europeans; and the Great Dying of 1616-1619, which emptied the village of Patuxet by 1620. Short, two- to six-page chapters alternate between the story of the English settlers and exploring the complex political makeup of the region and the culture, agriculture, and technology of the Wampanoag—all before covering the evolution of the holiday. Refreshingly, the lens Newell offers is a Native one, describing how the Wampanoag and other Native peoples received the English rather than the other way around. Key words ranging from estuary to discover are printed in boldface in the narrative and defined in a closing glossary. Nelson (a member of the Leech Lake Band of Minnesota Chippewa) contributes soft line-and-color illustrations of the proceedings. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Essential. (Nonfiction. 8-12)

Pub Date: Nov. 2, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-338-72637-4

Page Count: 96

Publisher: Scholastic Nonfiction

Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HISTORY | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

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OIL

by Jonah Winter ; illustrated by Jeanette Winter ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 31, 2020

Like oil itself, this is a book that needs to be handled with special care.

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In 1977, the oil carrier Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of oil into a formerly pristine Alaskan ocean inlet, killing millions of birds, animals, and fish. Despite a cleanup, crude oil is still there.

The Winters foretold the destructive powers of the atomic bomb allusively in The Secret Project (2017), leaving the actuality to the backmatter. They make no such accommodations to young audiences in this disturbing book. From the dark front cover, on which oily blobs conceal a seabird, to the rescuer’s sad face on the back, the mother-son team emphasizes the disaster. A relatively easy-to-read and poetically heightened text introduces the situation. Oil is pumped from the Earth “all day long, all night long, / day after day, year after year” in “what had been unspoiled land, home to Native people // and thousands of caribou.” The scale of extraction is huge: There’s “a giant pipeline” leading to “enormous ships.” Then, crash. Rivers of oil gush out over three full-bleed wordless pages. Subsequent scenes show rocks, seabirds, and sea otters covered with oil. Finally, 30 years later, animals have returned to a cheerful scene. “But if you lift a rock… // oil / seeps / up.” For an adult reader, this is heartbreaking. How much more difficult might this be for an animal-loving child?

Like oil itself, this is a book that needs to be handled with special care. (author’s note, further reading) (Informational picture book. 9-12)