America in World War II

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6-- A readable introduction to this important chapter in U. S. history. In this, the first title in a new series, Dolan devotes the beginning three chapters to a concise, but thorough, description of the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, told often from the perspective of Mitsuo Fuchida, the leader of the Japanese attack. The next chapter covers the situations and events that led up to it. The remaining narrative describes the rapid advance of the Japanese across the Pacific and the feelings, fears, and conditions here at home. Stylized American flags mark the beginning of each chapter. Wide margins make the well-written text stand out, and the black-and-white photographs are well chosen and of good quality. One interesting feature is the placement of portraits of prominent figures, both U. S. and Japanese, in the outer margins of many pages; boxed information appears beside each photo. This is an attractive overview of the last days of 1941 and the first days of our involvement in World War II. --Eldon Younce, Harper Elementary School, KS