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Tucky Jo and Little Heart
Friendship, loyalty, and kindness stand the test of time in this heartwarming World War II–era picture book based on a true story from the beloved author-illustrator of Pink and Say and The Keeping Quilt .
Tucky Jo was known as the “kid from Kentucky” when he enlisted in the army at age fifteen. Being the youngest recruit in the Pacific during World War II was tough. But he finds a friend in a little girl who helps him soothe his bug bites, and he gets to know her family and gives them some of his rations. Although the little girl doesn’t speak English, Tucky Jo and Little Heart share the language of kindness. Many years later, Tucky Jo and Little Heart meet again, and an act of kindness is returned when it’s needed the most in this touching picture book based on a true story.
Tucky Jo was known as the “kid from Kentucky” when he enlisted in the army at age fifteen. Being the youngest recruit in the Pacific during World War II was tough. But he finds a friend in a little girl who helps him soothe his bug bites, and he gets to know her family and gives them some of his rations. Although the little girl doesn’t speak English, Tucky Jo and Little Heart share the language of kindness. Many years later, Tucky Jo and Little Heart meet again, and an act of kindness is returned when it’s needed the most in this touching picture book based on a true story.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published August 25, 2015
6 people are currently reading
402 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Polacco
97 books1,070 followersPatricia Polacco is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator with around seventy beloved and award-winning books to her credit, including The Keeping Quilt, Pink and Say, The Blessing Cup, Chicken Sunday, and Thank You, Mr. Falker. She resides in Michigan.
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September 21, 2015
In this picture book for older readers, Patricia Polacco tells the story of Johnnie Wallen, a Kentucky boy who manages to get his parents to say he is older than 15 years, allowing him to enlist in the army and fight in WWII.
After basic training, Johnnie is assigned to the Sixth Infantry, Company G, Twentieth Division and sent to the Pacific theater. On the ship, Johnnie is called "the kid from Kentucky" by everyone because of his youth. But the kid from Kentucky was an crack shooter by age 10, and now the army trains him as a marksman and for heavy ordnance (explosives). In now time, Johnnie earns the nickname the Kentucky Kid after proving himself quite adapt at going into the jungle to seek and destroy machine gun nests.
The Kentucky Kid's unit soon finds themselves on Luzon, an island in the Philippines, where they need to level the land to bivouac and to build an airstrip. It is a hot job in a jungle infested with biting insects, and after a while, Johnnie is covered with bug bites. Looking for water to cool his bites, he discovers a small native village where women are trying to catch fish with their bare hands.
There, he meets a little girl who shows him how to treat his bug bites with the leaves of a local plant. Grateful for the relief and the friendly gesture, Johnny repays the young girl's kindness with the chocolate bar from his K-rations, tells her his name was Kentucky Jon, which immediately becomes Tucky Jo when she repeats it, and he begins calling her Little Heart because of a heart shaped birthmark on her arm.
That night, Tucky Jo whittsd a little hinged doll to give to Little Heart, which delights her. Then, one day when she didn't show up, Tucky Jo goes to find her in her village. There, her grandfather, who does speak English,explains that she hasn't spoken since she saw the Japanese kill her mother and take away her father and brother.
And, he goes on to explain, the Japanese took all the young men, all the food and all the fishing lines and nets. As a result, the people in the village are starving. Well, Tucky Jo is a doer and in no time, the people in Little Heart's village have all the fish they could eat and preserve - how? You'll have to read the story to find that out.
When Tucky Jo learns his unit is leaving and will be bombing the jungle, he convinces his sergeant to let him evacuate the village first, which is very successful. But when the truck with Little Heart pulls away, it is the late time Tucky Jo sees his little friend. Or is it?
After the war, Johnnie goes home, a highly decorated soldier, marries his sweetheart and raises a family. As he gets older, and his health fails, he needs to be hospitalized. Johnnie's nurse is very kind, so kind that he begins to wonder, especially after he sees the small heart shaped birthmark on her arm. Could it be...?
According to her Author's Note, Patricia Polacco writes that the story of Tucky Jo and Little Heart was inspired by listening to WWII veterans talking about their experiences in the Pacific Theater and is based on the story that Johnnie Wallen related to her. Of course, there is some poetic license, but the reader will have to figure that out for themselves.
Palacco has created as story about friendship, kindness,and ingenuity, while at the same time showing the terrible impact that war has on children. Little Heart has clearly been traumatized by what she had witnessed, compounded by a state of starvation, but Polacco has portrayed these things in such a way that they won't traumatize the reader, but will evoke feelings of empathy for Little Heart.
And there are the signature Polacco illustrations done in color pencil and markers. The illustrations capture Little Heart's vulneribility and her fragile state, and Tucky Jo's youth and enthusiasm, and his innate kindness that shines in his eyes.
Tucky Jo and Little Heart is an ideal book for introducing young readers to the war in the Pacific, or for any one interested veteran stories that come out of WWII..
This book is recommended for readers age 7+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL
This post was originally posted on Alex's Bookshelves (formerly The Children's War)
After basic training, Johnnie is assigned to the Sixth Infantry, Company G, Twentieth Division and sent to the Pacific theater. On the ship, Johnnie is called "the kid from Kentucky" by everyone because of his youth. But the kid from Kentucky was an crack shooter by age 10, and now the army trains him as a marksman and for heavy ordnance (explosives). In now time, Johnnie earns the nickname the Kentucky Kid after proving himself quite adapt at going into the jungle to seek and destroy machine gun nests.
The Kentucky Kid's unit soon finds themselves on Luzon, an island in the Philippines, where they need to level the land to bivouac and to build an airstrip. It is a hot job in a jungle infested with biting insects, and after a while, Johnnie is covered with bug bites. Looking for water to cool his bites, he discovers a small native village where women are trying to catch fish with their bare hands.
There, he meets a little girl who shows him how to treat his bug bites with the leaves of a local plant. Grateful for the relief and the friendly gesture, Johnny repays the young girl's kindness with the chocolate bar from his K-rations, tells her his name was Kentucky Jon, which immediately becomes Tucky Jo when she repeats it, and he begins calling her Little Heart because of a heart shaped birthmark on her arm.
That night, Tucky Jo whittsd a little hinged doll to give to Little Heart, which delights her. Then, one day when she didn't show up, Tucky Jo goes to find her in her village. There, her grandfather, who does speak English,explains that she hasn't spoken since she saw the Japanese kill her mother and take away her father and brother.
And, he goes on to explain, the Japanese took all the young men, all the food and all the fishing lines and nets. As a result, the people in the village are starving. Well, Tucky Jo is a doer and in no time, the people in Little Heart's village have all the fish they could eat and preserve - how? You'll have to read the story to find that out.
When Tucky Jo learns his unit is leaving and will be bombing the jungle, he convinces his sergeant to let him evacuate the village first, which is very successful. But when the truck with Little Heart pulls away, it is the late time Tucky Jo sees his little friend. Or is it?
After the war, Johnnie goes home, a highly decorated soldier, marries his sweetheart and raises a family. As he gets older, and his health fails, he needs to be hospitalized. Johnnie's nurse is very kind, so kind that he begins to wonder, especially after he sees the small heart shaped birthmark on her arm. Could it be...?
According to her Author's Note, Patricia Polacco writes that the story of Tucky Jo and Little Heart was inspired by listening to WWII veterans talking about their experiences in the Pacific Theater and is based on the story that Johnnie Wallen related to her. Of course, there is some poetic license, but the reader will have to figure that out for themselves.
Palacco has created as story about friendship, kindness,and ingenuity, while at the same time showing the terrible impact that war has on children. Little Heart has clearly been traumatized by what she had witnessed, compounded by a state of starvation, but Polacco has portrayed these things in such a way that they won't traumatize the reader, but will evoke feelings of empathy for Little Heart.
And there are the signature Polacco illustrations done in color pencil and markers. The illustrations capture Little Heart's vulneribility and her fragile state, and Tucky Jo's youth and enthusiasm, and his innate kindness that shines in his eyes.
Tucky Jo and Little Heart is an ideal book for introducing young readers to the war in the Pacific, or for any one interested veteran stories that come out of WWII..
This book is recommended for readers age 7+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL
This post was originally posted on Alex's Bookshelves (formerly The Children's War)
February 20, 2020
Prolific picture-book author and artist Patricia Polacco turns to the life story of a veteran living for many years in her Michigan village in this immensely powerful biographical tale for children. The story of Johnnie Wallen, a young Kentucky boy who, at the age of seventeen, joined the US Army and shipped out to fight in the Pacific Theater during World War II, it details his experiences in the Sixth Infantry, nicknamed the "Sightseeing Sixth" because they held the record for the most consecutive days of continuous combat. While serving in the Philippines, Johnnie came across a traumatized and hungry young girl whom he named Little Heart, and struck up a friendship with her and with her village. Sharing his K-rations, helping the village find fish and hunt buffalo, Tucky Jo (as Little Heart called him), did everything he could to help, even going so far as to include the villagers in his unit's evacuation, when the Japanese were approaching. Eventually coming home to the states, marrying and then having a large family, Johnnie thought often of Little Heart. And then one day, when he was an elderly veteran in need of help himself, something unexpected happened...
According to Johnnie Wallen's daughter, who commented on his obituary notice on a website devoted to the 6th Infantry, Tucky Jo and Little Heart is mostly (80%, she said) true, and reflects Wallen's own telling of his story. And what a story it is! Little more than a child himself, Wallen truly stepped up and became a man, serving his country with honor (he was highly decorated, in both WWII and the Korean War), and also retaining his essential humanity, and helping those innocent civilians he encountered during the course of his duties. I found the story here, of friendship across cultural, linguistic, age and gender lines, immensely moving, and finished the book with a huge lump in my throat. The conclusion, in which , might have felt too good to be true, if it weren't actually based on real events! Heartwarming, touching and ultimately satisfying, this book serves as a reminder, not only of the brave deeds of our servicemen, but of the fact that our country has, despite its various mistakes over the years, also done great good in the world. The story highlights the horrors of war, but also the human potential for goodness and the long-term after-effects of kindness. Highly recommended, to anyone looking for stories about World War II for older picture-book audiences, perhaps second through fourth grades.
According to Johnnie Wallen's daughter, who commented on his obituary notice on a website devoted to the 6th Infantry, Tucky Jo and Little Heart is mostly (80%, she said) true, and reflects Wallen's own telling of his story. And what a story it is! Little more than a child himself, Wallen truly stepped up and became a man, serving his country with honor (he was highly decorated, in both WWII and the Korean War), and also retaining his essential humanity, and helping those innocent civilians he encountered during the course of his duties. I found the story here, of friendship across cultural, linguistic, age and gender lines, immensely moving, and finished the book with a huge lump in my throat. The conclusion, in which , might have felt too good to be true, if it weren't actually based on real events! Heartwarming, touching and ultimately satisfying, this book serves as a reminder, not only of the brave deeds of our servicemen, but of the fact that our country has, despite its various mistakes over the years, also done great good in the world. The story highlights the horrors of war, but also the human potential for goodness and the long-term after-effects of kindness. Highly recommended, to anyone looking for stories about World War II for older picture-book audiences, perhaps second through fourth grades.
August 28, 2015
I typically steer clear of Polacco's work. Her stories are long and wordy and while they are worth telling, I'm not convinced they're worth telling to five-year-olds. But what do I know, I don't have any five-year-olds on whom I can test this theory. I just know I would have been bored by her work when I was five. Now that I'm, like, a hundred and five, I realize I also don't like her art. It creeps me out. Why are their cheeks always so red?
Still.
This one came across my desk today and I needed to beef up the library record a bit so skimmed the story but then grew interested and actually read it and you know what? It's awfully sweet. It even made me feel a bit misty-eyed at the end.
Some of the appeal was personal. My grandfather also lied about his age so he could join the Navy during World War II. Plus Asian children. I know it's racist, I KNOW! And yet, that doesn't stop me from being stupidly in love with Asian children. They're freakishly adorable, the majority of the ones I taught were delightful, (I still regret not stealing my favorite Korean students), and their hair! That pokey-uppy hair! Oh my god, I am the worst person alive. I really am.
If you're already a Polacco fan, you'll love this one, too. However, if you're not a Polacco fan because her stories are too long for little attention spans and/or her pictures are offputting to you, give this one a try anyway. You might like it.
Still.
This one came across my desk today and I needed to beef up the library record a bit so skimmed the story but then grew interested and actually read it and you know what? It's awfully sweet. It even made me feel a bit misty-eyed at the end.
Some of the appeal was personal. My grandfather also lied about his age so he could join the Navy during World War II. Plus Asian children. I know it's racist, I KNOW! And yet, that doesn't stop me from being stupidly in love with Asian children. They're freakishly adorable, the majority of the ones I taught were delightful, (I still regret not stealing my favorite Korean students), and their hair! That pokey-uppy hair! Oh my god, I am the worst person alive. I really am.
If you're already a Polacco fan, you'll love this one, too. However, if you're not a Polacco fan because her stories are too long for little attention spans and/or her pictures are offputting to you, give this one a try anyway. You might like it.
March 16, 2018
Well, that caused some tears. What a beautiful story. This is what loving thy neighbor really means and how it should look. Yep, everyone should read this book.
February 22, 2016
Polacco's stories are told from real life experiences. Johnnie Wallen is a WWII veteran who hailed from Kentucky. As a young boy of 15, he lied about his age and enlisted in the Army. Experiencing many battles and seeing more than a young man should have to witness, one day he came upon a small little girl. She helped him by showing a plant that relieved the burning and itching of his bug bites.
In return for her kindness, he shared his rations. When he could not find her, he worried and sought her. Finding her village, he soon made friends. When learning the area was going to be bombed, he saved "little heart's" village.
While he never saw her again, years later as an older man, he was pleasantly surprised that a new nurse at the veterans administration helped him and cleared the way for him to see heart specialists. She carried a photo of him, soon they realized that he was the young soldier who saved her village, and her "Tucky Jo" was indeed Johnnie Wallen.
In return for her kindness, he shared his rations. When he could not find her, he worried and sought her. Finding her village, he soon made friends. When learning the area was going to be bombed, he saved "little heart's" village.
While he never saw her again, years later as an older man, he was pleasantly surprised that a new nurse at the veterans administration helped him and cleared the way for him to see heart specialists. She carried a photo of him, soon they realized that he was the young soldier who saved her village, and her "Tucky Jo" was indeed Johnnie Wallen.
January 12, 2016
Ms Polacco has done it again. Patricia Polacco is my favorite author. Not my favorite "children's author." My favorite author, full stop. In "Tucky Jo and Little Heart", Ms. Polacco has related a beautiful story of love and friendship. The special bond that develops between a young WWII soldier and a little village girl in the South Pacific transcends time. If you are searching for a warm, life affirming story that proves the goodness in human beings, this is certainly a story you should read.
As an elementary librarian, I would recommend this book for third grade and up. It would make a wonderful read-aloud choice for a "Veterans Day," or "Memorial Day" lesson.
As an elementary librarian, I would recommend this book for third grade and up. It would make a wonderful read-aloud choice for a "Veterans Day," or "Memorial Day" lesson.
January 17, 2018
Get out the Kleenex for this one! What a sweet story, made all the sweeter because it’s true. Patricia Polacco tells the stormy of a young soldier from Kentucky who, during World War II, meets a Filipino girl and helps feed the starving people of her village. When war approaches, he even saves the villagers, but he never sees “Little Heart” again. But that’s not the end of the story. Read it to find out what else happens. I love the way she tells the story in the Kentucky dialect of Tucky Jo. This tearjerker is recommended for young and old readers alike. It’s nice to read about something good that comes out of war.
November 24, 2015
Wow! What a terrific story! Polacco tells the story of a young soldier fighting in the South Pacific during WWII. He befriends a young girl who gives him special leaves to heal his bug bites and he shares food and supplies with her and her family. Eventually they have to evacuate the area and he never sees her again, until years later when she is able to repay his kindness. The illustrations are powerful and emotional and support the text of this story. Have tissues handy!
December 31, 2015
Slow start but an incredible ending. I can barely believe it's true. It makes me sad when I wonder if such a thing could ever happen today--if a commanding officer would hold off moving his own troops out of harm's way for a group of Afghani villagers. Because I can barely believe that would happen, either.
April 22, 2024
Reread Apr 2024
May 2021: Wow just WOW! Read this to the kids for our focus on Memorial Day and the veterans that heroically gave their lives for others. As true Patricia Polacco style, this true story retold in riveting fashion for children, left me in tears. Wonderful and inspiring, a must read!
May 2021: Wow just WOW! Read this to the kids for our focus on Memorial Day and the veterans that heroically gave their lives for others. As true Patricia Polacco style, this true story retold in riveting fashion for children, left me in tears. Wonderful and inspiring, a must read!
May 18, 2017
Tucky Jo and Little Heart by Patricia Polacco is a nominee for the 2017-18 South Carolina Children's Book Award.
Johnnie Wallen enlisted in the army when he was just fifteen. America was involved in World War II, and this young man wanted to fight for his country. Johnnie, or Kentucky Jon, may have been young, but he was a good soldier, and he soon became a leader in his division.
Johnnie's outfit eventually ended up in Luzon in the Philippines. While on a mission in the jungle, Johnnie was bitten by more bugs than he knew existed. Not long after, he met a little girl that he came to know as Little Heart. This child showed him a plant that soothed his bug bites, and an unlikely friendship was formed. She couldn't speak English, so Johnnie's name went from "Kentucky Jon" to "Tucky Jo."
After this first encounter, Tucky Jo continued to seek out Little Heart. He shared food and supplies with her and others in her village. When Tucky Jo and his fellow soldiers weren't fighting, they were helping the desperate people in Little Heart's village.
One day, Johnnie received word that an attack was imminent. He convinced his sergeant that they needed to save everyone in Little Heart's village...and that's just what they did. Johnnie didn't see Little Heart again, but he always wondered about her.
Many years later, long after the war had ended, Tucky Jo had the chance to see Little Heart once more. He realized that his kindness had more of an impact that he could have known.
Tucky Jo and Little Heart is a wonderful addition to studies of World War II. Many students tend to focus on the Holocaust and the European side of the war--which is definitely important--but not much attention (aside from Pearl Harbor) is given to the war in the Pacific. This book, while focusing on the humanity of both soldiers and villagers, lends itself to further study/discussion of the Pacific theater and how the military interacts with native populations of the countries in which they are fighting.
While I'm typically not a huge fan of Patricia Polacco's work, I liked this book more than anticipated. It tugged at my heartstrings, and I even cried a bit at the end. It's very inspiring, and I hope my students (and fellow educators) will agree. Having said that, however, I wasn't crazy about the writing style in this book (writing out a southern accent tends to bother me), and I don't much like Polacco's artwork. The moving story is what makes this book a great one, despite its shortcomings.
Johnnie Wallen enlisted in the army when he was just fifteen. America was involved in World War II, and this young man wanted to fight for his country. Johnnie, or Kentucky Jon, may have been young, but he was a good soldier, and he soon became a leader in his division.
Johnnie's outfit eventually ended up in Luzon in the Philippines. While on a mission in the jungle, Johnnie was bitten by more bugs than he knew existed. Not long after, he met a little girl that he came to know as Little Heart. This child showed him a plant that soothed his bug bites, and an unlikely friendship was formed. She couldn't speak English, so Johnnie's name went from "Kentucky Jon" to "Tucky Jo."
After this first encounter, Tucky Jo continued to seek out Little Heart. He shared food and supplies with her and others in her village. When Tucky Jo and his fellow soldiers weren't fighting, they were helping the desperate people in Little Heart's village.
One day, Johnnie received word that an attack was imminent. He convinced his sergeant that they needed to save everyone in Little Heart's village...and that's just what they did. Johnnie didn't see Little Heart again, but he always wondered about her.
Many years later, long after the war had ended, Tucky Jo had the chance to see Little Heart once more. He realized that his kindness had more of an impact that he could have known.
Tucky Jo and Little Heart is a wonderful addition to studies of World War II. Many students tend to focus on the Holocaust and the European side of the war--which is definitely important--but not much attention (aside from Pearl Harbor) is given to the war in the Pacific. This book, while focusing on the humanity of both soldiers and villagers, lends itself to further study/discussion of the Pacific theater and how the military interacts with native populations of the countries in which they are fighting.
While I'm typically not a huge fan of Patricia Polacco's work, I liked this book more than anticipated. It tugged at my heartstrings, and I even cried a bit at the end. It's very inspiring, and I hope my students (and fellow educators) will agree. Having said that, however, I wasn't crazy about the writing style in this book (writing out a southern accent tends to bother me), and I don't much like Polacco's artwork. The moving story is what makes this book a great one, despite its shortcomings.
February 13, 2017
Tucky Jo and Little Heart is a historical fiction book about a boy from Kentucky who enlisted in the Army and was sent to the South Pacific during WWII. He meets and befriends a young girl who lives in a village. Even though she never talks, they develop a strong bond. He tries to teach her his name, "Kentucky Jon." The only words she ever says is "Tucky Jo," her name for him. He calls her "Little Heart" for a small heart-shaped birthmark on her arm. She shows him how to use the leaves of a plant to heal his bug bites and he provides candy bars and food for her and her village. Eventually the area has to be evacuated when the enemy advances and Tucky Jo gets permission to rescue the villagers and they leave the area on Army transports. Kentucky Jo never sees her again. Many years after the war when Kentucky Jon seeks medical care at the VA Clinic, he miraculously discovers that the nurse treating him is Little Heart. She tells him she came to America because of him and that she is going to make sure he gets the care he needs just like he cared for her so many years ago.
This is a beautiful story and very well written. Polacco wrote the story in Kentucky Jo's own words, to great effect. This book is based on a true story as told by Kentucky Jo to the author. Not only is this a heart-warming story of friendship and loyalty, it also provides young readers with a beginning understanding of the history of WWII. The illustrations are also beautiful and the characters come alive in the story and pictures.
This is a beautiful story and very well written. Polacco wrote the story in Kentucky Jo's own words, to great effect. This book is based on a true story as told by Kentucky Jo to the author. Not only is this a heart-warming story of friendship and loyalty, it also provides young readers with a beginning understanding of the history of WWII. The illustrations are also beautiful and the characters come alive in the story and pictures.
January 25, 2016
Johnnie Wallen is fifteen when he enlists in the army and is sent to the South Pacific during World War II. When he and his fellow recruits land on the Phillipines, they are exhausted from their labors and baffled by the jungle and its insects. They are supposed to clear the area for an airstrip. When a young girl befriends him by using leaves to soothe his insect bites, he shares his food with her, even coming up with a creative solution to their fishing problems. Later, he helps Little Heart and her family to leave the area safely. Many decades later, the two of them meet again, and she returns the favor. The lovely illustrations, created with pencils and acetone markers, put readers in that jungle alongside Tucky Jo and Little Heart. Based on a true story, this picture book describes several instances of compassion and reminds readers that even the smallest act of kindness can make a difference in someone's life. While the folksy, down home nature of the narrative may be offputting to some readers, it captures the personality of this young man from Kentucky quite well. It will take a skilled reader to share it aloud with students, but it will be worth the effort because readers will see a wonderful example of giving back to others.
October 9, 2017
This is the true story of a man named Johnnie who served in the South Pacific during WWII. While serving there, he is helped by a young girl in the jungle. She applies a plant to his insect bites that soothes the itching. He tries to talk to her and explains that his name is Kentucky John (because he is from Kentucky). He asks her name. She doesn't speak but he notices she has a birthmark on her arm that looks like a little heart. So he calls her Little Heart. Slowly, he builds trust between himself and her village. She begins to call him "Tucky Jo". He helps evacuate her village when enemy troops are coming and the American soldiers are being evacuated. Throughout his life, he remembers Little Heart, never imagining he'd ever see her again. He returns home, marries and has a long, rich life. And I won't share any more lest I ruin the ending. What I love is the story behind the story and that Polacco tried to tell this as close as possible to John's actual words. This is a treasure!
March 28, 2016
Johnnie enlists after Pearl Harbor even though he is only 15. As a sharpshooter he is made part of a special unit. After 219 days straight of combat he is blind tired and hopelessly homesick when he stumbles on a little girl, who shows him how to treat his bug bites. He befriends the girl and her village, talking his sarge into evacuating the village when the army decides it needs to firebomb the jungle. Which is the last he sees of her until she reenters his life at the end. (Had me in tears.) Very impressive story of a very impressive man.
Want to read
February 16, 2018Based on a true story, this book offers some insight into the horrors of war and the power of kindness. Patricia Polacco does it again.
This book was selected as one of the books for the February 2018 - Kindness and Generosity discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
This book was selected as one of the books for the February 2018 - Kindness and Generosity discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
December 8, 2015
"...scrawny little ol' girl. She wasn't any bigger than a minute and looked weak as a fawn deer." The author's note tells it all and although she "I will try to tell it as nearly as I can in his own words" but being the amazing author she is, her words are great examples for mentor texts for child writers.
"I grew up like any backcountry boy in Kentucky. Tougher than last year's jerky and faster than a scared jackrabbit."
The tears on this one are deserved. Beautiful and uplifting.
"I grew up like any backcountry boy in Kentucky. Tougher than last year's jerky and faster than a scared jackrabbit."
The tears on this one are deserved. Beautiful and uplifting.
October 1, 2015
While most of the WW II books focus on Hawaii, Japan, Japanese Interment Camp, and European Holocaust, this one adds different side of war reality and afterwards of the WW II. It adds additional perspectives of the WW II. South Pacific in WW II and a young American soldier and after WW II.. adding more new voices here.
February 4, 2017
This story was such a delight to read. I love that it was based off a true story and how real it felt. I love reading children books for this reason, you sometime get more out of these books then a full novel.
September 19, 2015
Another wonderful story told well by Patricia Polacco. Little hearts told my heart and Kentucky Joe is a true hero.
April 22, 2016
Get out the Kleenex. This story will inspire you to always keep your heart open because sometimes the smallest thing will remind you why you’re here.The author did an amazing job of telling one soldiers story. Johnnie is a 15 year old boy from Kentucky that’s fighting in World War II in the jungle. As he fights to not let the despair of that get to him he has to deal with the day to day troubles- like the fact that the ground is damp and mushy and the soldiers feet are never dry, he’s exhausted, and worst of all is the bugs (the size of your hand) stinging him and covering him in welts. One day he turns around and finds a little girl staring at him. Johnnie drank her in because looking at that innocent tiny girl gave him a peace he hadn’t felt in a long time. She picked a plant and showed him how to help his bug bites with the goo from the plant. He tried to tell her his name “Kentucky Jo” that’s what the other soldiers called him. She couldn’t speak his language so when he saw the heart shaped birthmark on her arm he named her “Little Heart”. When she finally tried to say his name it came out like “Tucky Jo”. He whittled her a doll and tried brighten up her and his life by watching her smile. He would bring her food for her village from his k rations. He even helped her village get food from the river. Eventually it was time to go home and for years he wondered about Little Heart. As he got older his eyesight and hearing were almost gone and he couldn’t afford to fix it. One day at the Veterans hospital he came across a new nurse. She told him that she’d had a meeting with specialist and they would take his case for free and get him the expensive medicine he needed. When he asked why are doing this for me she showed him her little heart birthmark and said I’m going to take care of you like you did for me so long ago. She had looked for him too for years in hope she could thank him for his kindness. This would be a great read aloud to a class learning about the war or even as a gift to a military family. A must read!
February 20, 2018
This picture book is really for school-age children, anywhere from 1st grade through 5th grade or so. It is a fairly long and wordy picture book, and intense. I gave it 5 stars, and found it a lovely and heart-warming story. I thought it was beautiful how all the kindness Kentucky Johnnie poured out on the Filipino villagers came back to him in spades at the end of his life. Polacco's signature pencil and marker illustrations are a great accompaniment to the story. My only confusion is that the blurb of the book says that Johnnie signed up for the army at the age of 15, after the Pearl Harbor bombing. However, he was born in 1924 and the bombing was in 1941, so he would have been 17 years old then.
June 17, 2016
This book does what many cannot-especially in the genre of children's literature: it tells of a true story of love and friendship developed between a soldier during WWII from Kentucky and a young girl who lives in the Philippines. Ms. Polacco tells this story with respect and gentleness-without sacrificing the reality of what it must have been like to be in the war, and later life as a veteran. The ending is a full circle moment that leaves the reader satisfied and for this Kentuckian, even a bit more proud. 5 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2021
The friendship between a soldier and young village girl is sure to touch young and old readers. It is based on the true story of Johnnie Wallen, a WWII veteran. I read this when I was feeling nostalgic; the generation who lived through such times are passing and with it, their stories and values. That is an uncomfortable thought, so after I read this, I was especially grateful to Patricia Polacco for writing stories like this one for the younger generations to remember and cherish.
April 26, 2021
I normally don't post about picture books here, but this one is remarkable. I used it today to teach a lesson about empathy and making inferences. The story is so beautiful, I even have goosebumps writing about it now. My sixth grade classes loved it, and were delighted by the ending and to learn that it was based on a true story.
November 13, 2025
Oh, such a good story. An elderly war veteran told the author his story, and she wrote it into a book, this book. It's an amazing true account that made it hard to hold back tears. G especially liked this one.
November 20, 2015
Feel good story about a young soldier and a little Filipino girl who he befriends during World War II.
July 11, 2016
This is classified as fiction but presented as nonfiction. I am very curious as to its authenticity...
April 16, 2017
Awesome! You should really check this out!
February 3, 2018
I nearly cried at the end of the book. Thank you for sharing the story of Tucky Jo and Little Heart!
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