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

The Grand Mosque of Paris: A Story of How Muslims Rescued Jews During the Holocaust

Title: The Grand Mosque of Paris: A Story of How Muslims Rescued Jews During the Holocaust

Author: Karen Gray Ruelle and Deborah Durland DeSaix

Illustrator: Karen Gray Ruelle and Deborah Durland DeSaix

Peach’s Picks Rating:
  



Year of publication: 2009

City of publication: New York

Publisher: Holiday House

ISBN: 9780823421596

Author website: http://www.hiddenonthemountain.com/bio.htm

Illustrator website: http://www.hiddenonthemountain.com/bio.htm

Media used for illustrations: Oil paint applied with brushes, paper towels, and fingers

Annotation: The Grand Mosque of Paris was used as a hiding place and escape route for Jews and others during the Nazi occupation. The Muslim Arab community united to aid those in danger.

Personal reaction to the book: This is a timely work of nonfiction that could be used effectively when discussing the current strained relations between Muslim Arabs and Jews. It tells the story of North African Muslim Arabs sheltering and helping Jews and others during the Holocaust. I found the story riveting and was interested to learn about the Grand Mosque and the aid extended. The authors have done an excellent job researching and verifying information. The investigation proved difficult; since the operations were clandestine, few written records were kept, and people directly involved have passed away. Readers unfamiliar with mosques will learn that they are not only a place of worship but cultural centers providing information and education, as well as other social services. Extensive notes, references, and an index are provided at the conclusion. A glossary is also included, but it lacks a pronunciation guide. Readers unfamiliar with the pronunciation of Arabic names and words may find the book awkward to read aloud. While reading the book aloud to students, I strive to correctly pronounce names and words. I appreciate a phonetic pronunciation guide for words outside the English language, especially in a book designed to be read aloud. The full-color oil paintings are attractive and keep the reader’s interest, but do not extend the text. Some of the text is difficult to read because it is printed over illustrations, e.g., page 8, where the text is printed on a blue cloudy sky. The pages are numbered which is uncommon in a picturebook, but helpful. While the book is text heavy, the information is interesting and pertinent, providing many discussion points. It reads aloud well. Illustrations can be seen by a group of students.  I recommend it for use with grades 4-8 when studying persecution or the Holocaust. Four stars are given because the illustrations do not extend the text.

General curricular connections:

• History / World War II, France, Holocaust
• Muslim Arab-Jewish relations
• Persecution
• Use in conjunction with the books Hidden on the Mountain: Stories of Children Sheltered from the Nazis in Le Chambon by Karen Gray Ruelle and Deborah Durland Desaix; Number the Stars by Lois Lowry; The Yellow Star by Carmen Agra Deedy

Specific example of curricular connection matched to State Standards:
Subject: History

Grade level: 10

Standards:

History-Social Science Content Standards for California Public Schools, Kindergarten through Grade Twelve

Grade 10

World History, Culture, and Geography: The Modern World

10.8 Students analyze the causes and consequences of World War II.

5. Analyze the Nazi policy of pursuing racial purity, especially against the European Jews; its transformation into the Final Solution; and the Holocaust that resulted in the murder of six million Jewish civilians.

Recommended grade levels:

School Library Journal recommends the book for grades 4-6

Booklist recommends the book for grades 3-6

Peach’s Picks recommends the book for grades 4 and up

Awards/Recognitions:

Library Media Connection starred review
ALA Notable Best Books, 2010

Metaphor: Page 5, “During the war, fear, hunger, and loss became everyday companions.”

Metaphor: Page 11, “The man at the heart of the mosque was its rector…”

Simile: Page 8, “The Grand Mosque shimmered like a mirage…”

Book cover picture retrieved from http://www.holidayhouse.com/title_display.php?ISBN=9780823423040

The Enemy: A Book About Peace

Author: Davide Cali

Illustrator: Serge Bloch

Peach’s Picks Rating:

Year of publication: 2009

City of publication: New York

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade Books

ISBN: 9780375845000

Author website: http://www.davidecali.com/

Illustrator website: http://www.sergebloch.net/

Media used for illustrations: Rendered in China ink on paper and photography

Annotation: Two soldiers hide in foxholes facing one another. Each ponders his fate, feeling they have nothing in common and believing they should hate and kill the other.

Personal reaction to the book: This is a powerful thought-provoking anti-war story that will encourage discussion when read aloud. Two enemy soldiers sit lonely vigils in small foxholes facing one another. One soldier speaks to the reader through his thoughts, pondering his situation, wondering if his enemy is really a wild beast who will “kill our families and our pets, burn down our forests, even poison our water (page 14).” The soldiers believe they are enemies but have shared experiences; loneliness, fear, anxiety, rain, darkness, longing for family, longing for the end of war. In a surprising twist, the two soldiers come to realize they are not enemies. Rather, they are humans who have families, dreams, and hopes. The front endpapers begin the story showing seven horizontal repeating lines of soldiers. All soldiers are the same with the exception of one soldier who has a four-leaf clover in his mouth. The story concludes on the back endpapers showing seven horizontal repeating lines of soldiers; a solider is missing from line two and line six leaving the reader to conclude that the two enemies turned their backs on war and went home. Between endpapers the story is told in short powerful text and illustrated with straightforward cartoon-like pictures conveying emotion. The book has a unique layout with six pages of story before the publisher’s information and title page appear. The drawings are reminiscent of World War I soldiers, but the theme is timeless and universal. This book will surely draw a strong response from readers. This book is perfectly matched with Patrol: An American Soldier in Vietnam by Walter Dean Myers. The book reads aloud well and is easily viewed by a group of students.

General curricular connections:

• War
• Peace
• Use with Amnesty International clubs
•             Use with Patrol: An American Soldier in Vietnam by Walter Dean Myers

Recommended grade levels:

School Library Journal recommends the book for grades 5 and up

Booklist recommends the book for grades 2-4

Peach’s Picks recommends the book for grades 4 and up

Awards/Recognitions:
Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, 2010
School Library Journal starred review

Notes: This book was selected from "The Top Ten Favorites List / Summer Session 2009", San Jose State University, School of Library and Information Science, LIBR 271A, Genres & Topics in Youth Literature, Professor Partington.

Metaphor: Page 13; “He is a wild beast.”

Metaphor: Page 14; the enemy is shown with a devil’s tail

Metaphor: Page 25; one soldier creeping across the page believes the other soldier creeping across the page to be a lion

Metaphor: Back endpapers: Two soldiers are missing from the horizontal lines of soldiers; the two soldiers in the story have left the war

Book cover picture retrieved from: http://www.randomhouse.com/author/80268/davide-cali

Persepolis

Author: Marjane Satrapi

Illustrator: Marjane Satrapi

Peach's Picks Rating:

Year of publication: 2003

City of publication: New York

Publisher: Pantheon Books

ISBN: 0-375-42230-7

Author website: No website available. Information about the author can be found at Pantheon Books website http://www.randomhouse.com/pantheon/graphicnovels/persepolis.html

Illustrator website: See "Author website" entry.

Media used for illustrations: Back and white drawings that are panel comic book style art resembling wood-cut, direct and flat with no shading, reflective of artwork created by 10-14 year-old child (main character’s age)

Annotation: Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographic graphic novel of her experiences from the ages of 10-14. Satrapi, the great-granddaughter of Iran’s last emperor, describes her early adolescence in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution.

Personal reaction to the book: The reader meets Marjane Satrapi in 1979 as a 10-year-old girl growing up in Tehran, Iran where she leads a relatively carefree life. Her great-grandfather was Iran’s last emperor. She is the only child of radical Marxist parents. She attends a co-ed French school and dresses in Western styles. Life quickly changes as war begins raging around her, touching her nuclear family, extended family, friends, neighborhood, and country. Schools become single-sex. Girls and women are forced to wear veils. Many women opt to wear chadors, either for religious reasons or to remain safe from the wrath of religious zealots. At the age of 14, Satrapi’s parents send her to boarding school in Austria where they feel she will live and learn more safely. She shows this time in her life as an interesting juxtaposition of adolescent rebellion and yearnings, against the terrors of the Islamic fundamentalist rise to power in Iran. Satrapi’s comments are wry, funny, and poignant, showing that humans continue to carry on with life in the face of adversity. The author’s introduction helps frame the historical context of her story. The book is divided into chapters with each chapter title foreshadowing events to come. The dialogue is presented in bubble-text with the narration presented in rectangular blocks. Satrapi’s illustrations are drawn in clean, stark, cartoon-like black-and-white panels. Through the illustrations and text she manages to portray life’s humor as well as the terrors she encounters on a daily basis. Especially horrific scenes are illustrated with strong swirling lines. Readers will enjoy this book as a graphic novel, identify with Marjane and her friends’ adolescent antics and struggles, and learn about Iran’s history in this beautifully presented graphic novel.

Curricular connections:

• Biographies
• Marjane Satrapi
• History / Iran
• Author/illustrators
• Graphic novels
• Use in conjunction with the Maus books by Art Spiegelman

Recommended grade levels:
School Library Journal recommends this book for high school and adult readers

Booklist recommends this book for young adult readers

Peach’s Picks recommends this book for grades 9 and up

Awards/Recognitions:
Library Journal starred review

Publishers Weekly starred review

Angoulême International Comics Festival Prize for First Comic Book, 2001
Prix Alph'art Coup de Coeur (beginning comic artist award), 2001

Prix du Lion, Belgian Center for Comic Strips, 2001

Notes: This book was selected from "The Top Ten Favorites List / Summer Session 2009", San Jose State University, School of Library and Information Science, LIBR 271A, Genres & Topics in Youth Literature, Professor Partington. The book was originally published in France by L'Association. English translation Blake Ferris and Mattias Ripa. This book applies to the assignment criteria – nonfiction graphic novel.

Symbolism: Page 43; A dragon encircles the family’s living room showing that political danger is present

Symbolism: Page 125; Khosro shown standing in a snow scene with pine trees, next to a snowman. Khosro is wearing a Nordic style sweater and ski cap. This illustrations symbolizes that Khosro escaped to Sweden safely.

Onomatopoeia: Page 117; “Kofff! Kofff! Kofff!

Book cover picture retrieved from: http://www.randomhouse.com/pantheon/graphicnovels/persepolis.html

The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain

Author: Peter Sis
 
Illustrator: Peter Sis

Peach's Picks Rating:


Year of publication: 2007
 
City of publication: New York
 
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
 
ISBN: 978037437017
 
Author website: http://www.petersis.com
 
Illustrator website: http://www.petersis.com
 
Media used for illustrations: Mixed media; black ink and marker drawings accented with red, personal photos, personal journal entries, and propaganda posters
 

Annotation: Autobiographical picturebook of Peter Sis’ life (birth though mid-thirties) in Communist Czechoslovakia during the Cold War. He immigrates to the United States, where he finds political and intellectual freedom.

Personal reaction to the book: Powerful and moving personal account of growing up under Communist rule during the Cold War. The reader experiences Sis’ slow awakening from a childhood of brainwashing. Adolescence brings with it typical longings to experiment with and examine new ideas. There is a loosening in the strict Communist rule and Sis is able to experience Western culture while traveling through Europe. A change in political climate results with restrictions being imposed even more tightly on Eastern Bloc countries. Sis’ desire to live a creative life with personal freedom grows. His personal journals add poignancy to the story. The various styles of illustrations complement the text, transporting the reader into Sis’ emotional anxieties. The visuals increase the scope of the text and must be read carefully to fully understand the book’s content. The design and layout is a unique blending of propaganda posters, journals, personal photos, and black and white drawings accented with “Communist” red. Both the “Introduction” and “Afterword” are very important to the understanding of the story. The book is most meaningful if the reader is familiar with historical aspects of the Cold War, but every reader will identify with Sis’ longing for personal freedom. This is an outstanding example of a nonfiction picturebook for older readers.

General curricular connections:

• History / Cold War
• History / Czechoslovakia / Czech Republic
• Biographies
• Study of persecution / match with Maus by Art Spiegelman and Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
• Current events / Ai Weiwei, Chinese artist and human rights activist

Specific example of curricular connection matched to State Standards:
Subject: History
Grade level: 10-11

Standards:

California State Standards

History – Social Studies Content Standards for Public Schools: Kindergarten through Grade 12

History-Social Science Content Standards for California Public Schools, Kindergarten through Grade Twelve

Grade 10

World History, Culture, and Geography: The Modern World

10.9 Students analyze the international developments in the post–World War II world.

2. Analyze the causes of the Cold War, with the free world on one side and Soviet client states on the other, including competition for influence in such places as Egypt, the Congo, Vietnam, and Chile.

11.9 Students analyze U.S. foreign policy since World War II.

2. Understand the role of military alliances, including NATO and SEATO, in deterring communist aggression and maintaining security during the Cold War.

3. Trace the origins and geopolitical consequences (foreign and domestic) of the Cold War . . .

5. Analyze the role of the Reagan administration and other factors in the victory of the West in the Cold War.

Recommended grade levels:
School Library Journal recommends the book for grades 4 and up

Booklist recommends the book for grades 7-10

Peach’s Picks Ratings recommends the book for grades 7 and up

Awards/Recognitions: 
Booklist starred review

Horn Book starred review

School Library Journal starred review

ALA Notable Children’s Books / Older Readers, 2008
NCTE Orbis Pictus Award recommended book, 2008

Robert F. Sibert Information Book Award, 2008

Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, 2008

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Blue Ribbon Award / Nonfiction, 2007
Caldecott Honor, 2008

Note: This book was selected from "The Top Ten Favorites List / Summer Session 2009", San Jose State University, School of Library and Information Science, LIBR 271A, Genres & Topics in Youth Literature, Professor Partington. It is a work of nonfiction in the form of a graphic novel.

Metaphor: Pages 42 and 44; The Statue of Liberty representing personal and intellectual freedom

Metaphor: Page 24, Sis depicts himself as Van Gogh in the painting titled “The Scream”

Metaphor: Page 24, a maze showing no way out of Communism and the Eastern Bloc

Repetition: Throughout the book, strong horizontal fence-like lines are used

Repetition: Throughout the book, cross-hatched lines giving the illusion of fences are used

Repetition: Beginning on page 4 and continuing throughout the text, the word “COMPULSORY” is written in bold capital letters.

Repetition: Throughout the book, the author/illustrator depicts himself holding or displaying at least one of his drawings on nearly every page.

Symbolism: Through the book, secret police are depicted as pigs

Book cover picture retrieved from: http://us.macmillan.com/thewall