Armed Services

Children's Literature - Greg M. Romaneck

With very few exceptions, the nations of the world dedicate a greater or lesser portion of their annual budgets to the maintenance of national defense forces. The armed services of most nations represent a material dedication to national security. In some instances such as the United States, the People's Republic of China, and Russia, this investment in armed services can be a significant part of the nation's expenditures. In other cases armed services expenditures are an afterthought and represent only the barest necessities of national defense. In this slim volume in the "Action Force" series readers are given a concise overview of the type of activities, equipment, training, and experiences members of various armed services encounter in their work life. Each brief chapter is linked to numerous illustrations and inserted "AF Facts" textboxes that amplify the main narrative. In this way youngsters with an interest in military matters and service are given a chance to learn more about what life in the armed services entails. This book is written at an intermediate grade independent reading level. As such it offers an introduction to upper elementary students with a bent for military matters. At the same time, the content is such that it could represent a controlled vocabulary and high interest reading selection for youngsters in higher grades. Reviewer: Greg M. Romaneck