Patrol: An American Soldier in Vietnam

Author: Walter Dean Myers

Illustrator: Ann Grifalconi

Peach’s Picks Rating: 

 

Year of publication: 2002

City of publication: New York

Publisher: Haper Collins Publishers

ISBN: 0-06-028363-7

Author website: http://www.walterdeanmyers.net/

Illustrator website: http://members.authorsguild.net/agrifalconi/ and http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/Kids/AuthorsAndIllustrators/ContributorDetail.aspx?CId=12169

Media used for illustrations: Collage using photos and watercolors

Annotation: A young American soldier faces war in the jungles, rice paddies, and villages of Vietnam. The story takes places during one day, poignantly revealing the soldiers emotions.

Personal reaction to the book: This picturebook format poem tells the story of a young frightened American solider facing combat in Vietnam. It takes place over the course of one day. The main character is shown walking through the jungles looking over his shoulder anticipating the enemy in every shadow, startled by planes dropping bombs, and wondering if the villagers he encounters are enemies. Finally, he and an enemy meet face-to-face in tall elephant grass. They see each other at the same moment. The American soldier thinks to himself, “We are surprised to see each other….How young he is….We stare across the distance….we have learned too much about each other” (page 23). In the split second when they meet, neither soldier can bring himself to use his rifle. In another spilt second, their problem is solved when a helicopter comes for the American soldier’s squad. Throughout the book, the reader can feel the main character’s fear and emotional conflict as he struggles internally; questioning the war and the actions he is expected to carry out. At the end we experience his anguish and weariness through illustrations and text. The illustrations are superb setting an atmosphere of war that is as conflicted as the main character’s emotions. The reader sees both peaceful scenes of lush jungles with birds calling from treetops and terrifying images as bombs drop and explode near the soldiers. The endpapers are camouflage pattern, echoing the military theme of the book. This book is perfectly matched with The Enemy: A Book About Peace by Davide Cali. Using Patrol in a class studying the Vietnam War should offer many points for discussion. The book makes a strong anti-war statement.

General curricular connections:

• History / Vietnam War
• War
• Peace
• Use with Amnesty International Clubs
• Use in conjunction with The Enemy: A Book About Peace by Davide Cali
• Use in conjunction with Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers

Recommended grade levels:

School Library Journal recommends this book for use with grades 4 and up

Booklist recommends this book for use with grades 4-8

Peach’s Picks recommends this book for use with grades 6 and up

Awards/Recognitions:

California Young Reader Medal Nominee, Picture Books for Older Readers, 2006

Kirkus Review starred review

Publishers Weekly starred review

Note: This entry meets the assignment criteria to review books that contain single book-length poems.

Simile: Page 13; “The bombs explode, rumbling like thunder…”

Metaphor: Page 22; He is the harvest we must understand.”

Book cover picture retrieved from http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/books/Patrol/?isbn13=9780060283643&tctid=100