World War II for Kids: A History with 21 Activities by Richard Panchyk, Senator John McCain (Foreword by)

From the Publisher

Now more than ever, kids want to know about our country's great struggles during World War II. This book is packed with information that kids will find fascinating, from Hitler's rise to power in 1933 to the surrender of the Japanese in 1945. Much more than an ordinary history book, it is filled with excerpts from actual wartime letters written to and by American and German troops, personal anecdotes from people who lived through the war in the United States, Germany, Britain, Russia, Hungary, and Japan, and gripping stories from Holocaust survivors-all add a humanizing global perspective to the war. This collection of 21 activities shows kids how it felt to live through this monumental period in history. They will play a rationing game or try the butter extender recipe to understand the everyday sacrifices made by wartime families. They will try their hands at military strategy in coastal defense, break a code, and play a latitude and longitude tracking game. Whether growing a victory garden or staging an adventure radio program, kids will appreciate the hardships and joys experienced on the home front.

Author Biography: Richard Panchyk is the author of Archaeology for Kids and the coauthor of Engineering the City. Both of his grandfathers and three of his great-uncles were soldiers in World War II.

Nikolai

Fun reading for adults and kids.

Smithsonian

The dramatic events that lay behind the Founding Fathers' struggle for liberty are vividly recounted in Herbert's lively survey.

Today's Parent Staff

Jam-packed with information that kids will find fascinating.

San Diego Family Magazine

A great tool to teach children about the war.

Westbury Times

Fun and educational.

Boise Family Magazine

The ideal tool to teach children about the war that ensured the freedom they enjoy today.

Publishers Weekly

A pair of titles helps young readers understand events during the Second World War. The first, World War II for Kids: A History with 21 Activities by Richard Panchyk provides a comprehensive survey of the era, beginning with Hitler's rise to power in 1933 to the Japanese surrender in 1945 (a time line opens the volume). Wartime letters, interviews with former soldiers, ordinary citizens and Holocaust survivors provide a personal perspective. Activities include creating a CARE package for enlisted soldiers and writing and performing a radio adventure; Bill Clinton and John McCain provide forewords.

School Library Journal

Gr 5-7-In this introductory survey, Panchyk describes major events throughout the great conflict in nearly every theater of operation. While the main focus is on America's part in the war, life in England and other European countries is given careful attention. A special aspect of this work is the variety of informative activities appearing in substantial sidebars. Through them, readers can vicariously go on a reconnaissance mission, grow a victory garden, track a ship's movements using latitude and longitude, live on rations for a day, and experience other aspects of wartime life. Adult help and/or permission is suggested for many of the projects. One involves labeling alternate halves of a class of students with special armbands and simulating discrimination; teacher involvement is not mentioned in the instructions. Summarized or quoted first-person accounts by World War II participants are integral parts of this book, which also includes letters and journal entries by soldiers and civilians in both Allied and Axis countries. A large selection of black-and-white contemporary photographs and reproductions of such items as ration stamps and propaganda posters further contribute to the book's immediacy. Attention grabbers are a letter from former President Clinton, a short foreword by Senator John S. McCain, and an afterword by World War II veteran Senator Ernest "Fritz" Hollings.-Ann G. Brouse, Steele Memorial Library, Elmira, NY Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

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