Myers, Walter Dean. "the Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins, A World War II Soldier; Normandy, France, 1944" New York: Scholastic, Inc., 1999. print.

Told from the perspective of an 18-year-old from Roanoke, VA, this appears to be a first-hand account of the D-Day landing at Omaha Beach and the ensuing battles in Normandy against the Germans. The "journal" entries begin on May 25, 1994, with the recounting of Scott Collins' going-away party and ends on August 24 on Omaha Beach, as Scott, wounded, is being ferried back to England. While the tone is more matter-of-fact than a true journal would be, the short, almost-daily entries keep the story moving along briskly. The author doesn't glamorize war, frequently mentioning the dead and wounded, the members of his regiment, all around him, more and more each day. Up to this point, the story is believable as a fictionalized journal.

After the last journal entry, which would hvae been very satisfying as an ending, the author has written an Epilogue, which purports to tell the subsequent life stories of the main characters: where they lived, who they married, their children, their work, if they have passed on. There follows a section called "Life in America in 1944" which actually describes the conflict between Nazi Germany and the United States, and includes several pages of captioned photographs of the invasion of Normandy along with maps. This section is somewhat helpful in putting into perspective this part of World War II.

Next is a chapter called "About the Author." He believes that history, particularly war, is best told from the intensely personal point of view by those who actually fought in the war. He says "I cna think of no better way to prevent war than to present a true picture of its horrors." While I couldn't agree more, and while this story matches the stories of the Battle of the Bulge my own father told me, when Myers says this is a "true picture" it suggests that Scott Collins really existed. Nonetheless, he is an award-winning author, and among his awards is one from the ALA in the field of social studies.

Although the reading level is upper-elementary (as told to me by a public librarian), the subject matter is disturbing: repeated descriptions of the dead and dying, the central character pinned down by enemy fire and unable to help. These could bring nightmares to any child who reads it.

Gross, Virginia T. "The President is Dead: the Story of the Kennedy Assassination" New York, Viking Press, 1993. Print.

Bernardo wants to get away from a bully at school and prove, at least to himself, that he can do something extraordinary. When he learns that his hero, President John F. Kennedy and his beautiful wife Jackie will be coming to Dallas, Bernardo decides to skip school to go to Dealey Plaza and watch his hero pass by in a motorcade. He takes a few dollars from his mother's purse, adding to the secrets he must keep on this day.

Bernardo is proud of his father's restaurant, home of the best Mexican food in Dallas, and leaves his school books in the woodbin behind the restaurant kitchen so he can take the bus to Dealey Plaza. There he gets caught up in the excitement of the crowd as they eait for the popular president to come by, and that is where Bernardo witnesses the most extraordinary event of the 1960's. But can he tell anyone what he saw and what he knows?

This hardcover book, 52 pages long, includes at the end a short explanation of the historical significance of the Kennedy mystique, his presidency and popularity, and the facts about his assassination. Gross addresses the multiple gun men theory - indeed it is central to the story. Dan Andreasen provided the black-and-white drawings.

I enjoyed the perspective of this story, as told by an elementary-school-aged Latino American. The story moves steadily through the fateful day, then through the days of national grief and sorrow, unfolding in a rather suspenseful way even though older readers will certainly know the events. Unlike Gross' Johnstown Flood book, there is no confusion of characters and she seems to have enough pages to tell the story with all the necessary details intact. Bernardo's shame at having lied and stolen from his parents is compounded by his grief at witnessing up close the assassination of his hero. this is resolved well by a talk with his (wise and compassionate) mother.

Gross, Virginia T. "The Day It Rained Forever: The Story of the Johnstown Flood." New York: Viking Press, 1991. Print.

Ten-year-old Christina Berwind is already grieving for her little sister, dead a few hours after being born. Although her life is filled with family, farm chores and schooling, in a corner of her heart is the sorrow not only for her baby sister, but also for her parents' loss, especially for her mother. Then comes the Johnstown Flood of 1889, a wall of water 125 feet high rushing through the valley below her house at 50 miles per hour. Christina's mother, in Johnstown downstream, nearly drowns, as did thousands of others. But out of such tragedy and the struggle to rebuild comes joy and a new reason to live.

This hardcover book, 52 pages, is part of the "Once Upon America" series which is intended for readers aged 7-11 years. It attempts to answer the question "Who is affected by the events of history?" by showing ordinary people as an important part of the story, particulary children. Virginia Gross was a Fairfax County Public Schools reading teacher. The drawings, which I believe are charcoal on paper, are by Ronald Himler. At the end, there is a two-page explanation of the events, "About This Book," which puts into historical perspective the events and characters of the story.

I enjoyed the drama of the story and the fact that it is based on true events - my own mother told me about the Johnstown Flood. The story jumps around a bit from place to place and character to character, making it a bit hard to follow. Two characters seem to have similar names: Herbert Berwind, engaged to Leonora Hastings (and Christina's older brother?), and Herbie, her younger brother(?) who remains on the farm during the rains. The former apparently perished in the flood, although none of the family misses him in the aftermath, while the latter remains a pesky sidekick.

Babbit, Natalie. "Tuck Everlasting." New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1975. Print.

When Winnie Foster, an ordinary ten-year-old, discovers a magical family, she is faced with unexpected adventures and a series of decisions. While this is a fantastical story, the characters are utterly human and the dilemmas realistic, prmpting the reader to ask, "Why did they decide to do that? What is right or wrong in this situation? What would I do?"

Although written at a level for the late elementary/middle school/high school crowd, this novel addresses issues and problems which would engage adults as well. There is a movie tie-in and several websites containing lesson plans:

http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-tuck-everlasting/characters.html

http://www.carolhurst.com/titles/tuckeverlasting.html

http://www.glencoe.com/sec/literature/litlibrary/pdf/tuck_everlasting.pdf

Kadir Nelson's Awards (partial list)

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, a Caldecott Honor and an NAACP Image Award for Carol Boston Weatherford’s MOSES: When Harriet Tubman Led her People to Freedom.”

Coretta Scott King Award, and ALA Notable Children’s Book, for Ellington Was Not A Street, by Ntozake Sange.

Caldecott Honor Award, Henry’s Freedom Box, with Ellen Levine.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Image Award, for Just the Two of Us, 2001.

Silver Medal for original art, Society of Illustrators, for Under the Christmas Tree, 2002.

Coretta Scott King Honor Book designation, for Thunder Rose, 2004.

The New York Times named "WE ARE THE SHIP: The Story of Negro League Baseball," one of the Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2008.

Winner of the CASEY Award for best baseball book, 2008.

Coretta Scott King Book Award Recipient, for writing and illustrating We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball, 2009.

About Kadir Nelson, Illustrator and Author

Born to an African-American family in Washington, DC, now based in San Diego, Kadir Nelson graduated with honors from the Pratt Institute in New York. A prolific and award-winning artist, he has nearly 20 books in print, as well as commissioned works and art exhibits at prestigious museums and galleries in the U.S. and abroad. He has illustrated children’s books for such authors as Ntozake Shange, Debbie Allen, Deloris and Joslyn Jordan, Spike and Tonya Lee, and Carol Boston Wetherford. Nelson was the lead conceptual artist for the films Amistad and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, both from Steven Spielberg’s Dreamworks Studio. He has designed postage stamps and painted a portrait of the late Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. His artwork is found in advertisements for such companies as Coca-Cola, State Farm, the San Diego Padres and Major League Baseball, as well as editorial artwork for Sports Illustrated, the New Yorker and Playboy, among others.

Nelson’s work conveys a sense of identity and emotion which communicate the strength of the subject. Working primarily in oils, each portrait he creates is intimate, almost casual, yet profound in its historical significance. He has said, “My focus is to create images of people who demonstrate a sense of hope and nobility. I want to show the strength and integrity of the human being and the human spirit.”

Kadir Nelson: Useful Websites

Artist’s professional website:
http://www.kadirnelson.com/

Traveling exhibit:
www.wearetheship.com

BBC interview about We Are the Ship:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1OqigCq8H4

NPR: Shirley Chisholm: Portrait Of A Pioneer: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101645091

NPR Interview with Kadir Nelson: Farai Chideya talks to Nelson about WE ARE THE SHIP
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88161462