Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 5-8. Using the same handsome format as Drez's Remember D-Day: Both Sides Tell Their Stories0 (2004) and Allen's Remember Pearl Harbor: Japanese and American Survivors Tell Their Stories 0 (2001), this book offer views of the Second World War through the eyes of those who experienced it as children. Madeleine Albright contributes an introductory memoir of her early years growing up in Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and England, unaware of her Jewish heritage. Her memories are the first of many, for Nicholson interviewed a series of people about their recollections of the war. Divided into three sections, the discussion begins with the war in Europe, moves to the Pacific, and ends on the American home front. Providing enough background information to give a framework for the progression of the war as a whole and the particular conditions and events surrounding the interviewees' memories, Nicholson lets the first-person accounts bring the experiences to life. Photographs of these individuals as children, other period photos, excellent maps, and pictures of artifacts illustrate the text. The book ends with an epilogue, a time line of the war, a short bibliography, and brief summaries of what happened to the children who survived to tell their stories. --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
After Remember Pearl Harbor and Remember D-Day, the third book in the highly visual series from National Geographic is Remember World War II: Kids Who Survived Tell Their Stories by Dorinda Makanaonalani Nicholson. Throughout the historical narrative, quotes from children in green typeface keep the focus on palpable details, from six-year-old Olga Held seeing Hitler's face from the front row as a parade passes by, to 14-year-old Hedi Wachenheimer, whose school principal points to her in class saying, "Get out you dirty Jew." A photo of a five-year-old Belgian girl's cherished doll, reproductions of heartbreaking missives from mother to child, plus a timeline, help make the events real for young readers. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-While it may be missed by most readers, the foreword written by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is a fine introduction to this title. The three chapters discuss the war in Europe and in the Pacific, and on the U.S. home front. The majority of the text is composed of short autobiographical articles written by adults who experienced World War II as children or as teenagers. The author has included herself in one of the sketches. Additional historical information ties the profiles together. The text is liberally illustrated with half- to full-page vintage photos with captions that supply additional information. Small pictures of the featured children appear with their stories. The text concludes with an epilogue, an excellent time line, and postscripts about the individuals today. This volume appears to be thoroughly researched. However, the 1937 Japanese invasion of China is incorrectly given as 1940. The book is more likely to be read by students with an interest in the topic than by those doing reports.-Eldon Younce, Harper Elementary School, KS (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Fifteen people from Europe, the Pacific, and the U.S. homefront recollect their childhood WWII experiences. Germans, Hawaiians, a Rosie the Riveter, and a Czech Jew sent to Auschwitz are among those featured; Nicholson's commentary provides context. The viewpoints vary, but the message of survival remains consistent throughout. Period photographs and some maps illustrate the well-organized volume. Timeline. Bib., ind. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
