Honor Flight: Celebrating America's Veterans

by Jeff Gottesfeld, Matt Tavares (Illustrator)

"A solemn and respectful reminder to younger readers of what was paid and what is owed—with strong emotions and a few well-placed dashes of vinegar to counter any incipient sentimentality." —School Library Journal (starred review)

The team behind Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier join forces to create a touching companion book honoring military veterans and the program that keeps their contribution alive.

Located in our nation’s capital are monuments dedicated to the service members who fought in the last century’s wars. Visitors line up to gaze at the Iwo Jima Memorial, stark against the sky; the solemn Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; the national World War II Memorial with its circle of unity; the Korean War Veterans Memorial; and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, engraved with tens of thousands of names. It is here that the Honor Flight program has brought some 300,000 aging veterans, all of them deserving a chance to see their commitment and sacrifice honored and commemorated. Told in the voice of an anonymous veteran, Jeff Gottesfeld’s first-person narrative conveys the emotional impact of a visit that not only encompasses a tour of the monuments but also includes moving tributes from friends and schoolchildren and ends with the kind of welcome home that some of the veterans had never received. Matt Tavares’s striking illustrations bring readers close to both Washington’s timeless monuments and the veterans whose role in history will never be forgotten. An afterword and notes from the author provide more information for curious readers.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction

40 pages, Hardcover

Published March 3, 2026

About the author

HONOR FLIGHT (Candlewick, March 3, 2026). So far, four starred reviews from PW, SLJ, Booklist, and Kirkus.

Too many of America's veterans have never had the means or opportunity to visit their monuments in Washington, DC. Nor did many of them, particularly from the Vietnam era, get the homecoming they deserved.

The Honor Flight program, begun by volunteers in 2005 on the most modest of scales, changed all of that. Today, the Honor Flight Network is massive, and has flown more than 300,000 vets on free trips to DC, each of them accompanied by a volunteer (and paying) Guardian.

I was a Guardian on such a flight in April, 2023. This book is about this remarkable effort, told first person in the voice of an unnamed veteran. That I could reunite for it with Matt Tavares, the illustrator of our TWENTY-ONE STEPS: GUARDING THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER (Candlewick, 2021). Well, as the last line of the book says, "It was an honor."

Reviews

[Amanda Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cue the tears. Tug the heartstrings. Reminisce and remember. Honor Flight takes the reader through the experience of a veteran who is participating in the program. All of the emotions felt by the veteran are transferred to the reader, and it is such a touching journey. Matt Tavares brings the words to life. The pictures are realistic enough for the reader to feel authentic and life-like; however, they are cartoon enough to attract even the youngest reader. From a teacher’s perspective, this is a wonderful book to explore inference, text connections, and so many historical references to research deeper. As a child of a veteran, it was an emotional masterpiece. When I went to DC with my father years ago (as an adult), to hear him share his experiences and his stories was so impactful. This book captures the memories one can have in a place of reverence. I cannot wait to share Jeff Gottesfeld’s book with my children and eventually take them to Washington to give them real life experiences which honor our veterans.

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book takes you through the process an honor flight veteran goes through from the initial call until the coming off of the plane back home. It is a whirlwind of a day for everyone involved and when you read this keep this in mind this trip happens all in one day. I don’t want to spoil the book so I won’t say much about it the veteran telling the story will let you know all you need to know, but the illustrations are so wonderful and inspiring it really brings the book to life. This a moving book for anyone who wants to read it, but is geared toward children ages 7-10. If you liked this book as I do than also read Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the same team as this book. Who knows maybe someday I will get tapped for a Honor Flight.

This review copy was supplied by Edelweiss

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

HONOR FLIGHT:
Celebrating America's Veterans
by Jeff Gottesfeld, author; Matt Tavares, illustrator; Candlewick Press; out March 3.

When author Jeff Gottesfeld shared this ARC with me, I burst into tears as I read it, so moved was I from the first page. Jeff's poignant story profoundly touches the heart and Matt's gorgeous illustrations make you feel you are right there with the unnamed veteran narrator who gets to go to D.C. and see the U.S. military monuments for the first time and be grandly honored for his service.

While geared to readers 7 to years of age, Honor Flight will appeal to adult readers too, especially military families and history lovers, and should be in every school and public library across the nation. A masterpiece!

[Yapha · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely stunning picture book by the duo that brought us Twenty One Steps. Gottesfeld's poignant words pair powerfully with Tavares's stunning art. I found it particularly meaningful, having visited the Vietnam Memorial with my father who was a veteran of that war. This should be a staple read aloud for every Veteran's Day. Highly recommended for grades 3 & up.

eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an electronic ARC from Candlewick Press through Edelweiss+.
Powerful story of one veteran's Honor Flight. Readers see his journey from leaving home through the time in DC at the memorials until he returns to the airport and then to his home. Tears in my eyes as I finished this tender account of this amazing service for America's veterans. The artwork captures the trauma and the memories along with the love and support. Well worth reading as families and classes.