Monday, June 02, 2014

World War I for Kids: A History With 21 Activities

World War I for Kids: A History with 21 Activities. R. Kent Rasmussen. 2014. Chicago Review Press. 192 pages. [Source: Review copy]

World War I, or "The Great War," is a complex subject or topic. It can be difficult for adults to understand at times. I thought Rasmussen did an admirable job in simplifying it for middle grade readers in his World War I for Kids. He breaks the war down into twelve chapters:

  • The Road to War
  • Stalemate on the Western Front
  • Trench Warfare
  • Other Fronts
  • The Weapons of War
  • The War at Sea
  • The War in the Air
  • Animals Go to War
  • Enter the United States
  • The Home Fronts
  • Ending the Fighting
  • Beyond the Armistice
Each chapter has at least one activity associated with it. For example, the first chapter, "The Road to War," the activity is making a military recruiting poster. The activities vary, which, in my opinion, is a very good thing. Other activities include: writing a poem about the war, pressing flowers to send home from the war, reading a world war I era adventure novel, making parachutes and gas masks, training a dog to carry a message, cooking "Maconochie Stew." There are twenty-one activities in all.

I found the book to be informative, very well-researched. The layout was nice as well, plenty of photographs and maps. It is always important for nonfiction to be as appealing as possible. As I was reading it, a few Horrible Histories sketches came to mind, which was good fun.

© 2014 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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