World War II

by John Perritano

Using simple text and photographs, this volume briefly examines some of the events of World War II.

32 pages, Library Binding

First published November 1, 2010

About the author

Over the years, I have written and edited a variety of books, magazines, Web sites, newspapers, and other publications, as well as authoring a number of non-fiction titles.

Most recently, I was a senior editor at Scholastic, the largest publisher of children’s books in the world. I was in charge of hundreds of fiction and non-fiction titles. Currently, I am a full-time freelance writer, penning non-fiction books and articles. My client list includes National Geographic, Discovery.com, Scholastic, various textbook publishers, and others.

Reviews

[Kayli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book from the Scholastic fair at my mom's school a few years ago, one of the perks of being a librarian's kid is I still get that Scholastic Book Fair high twice a year, and I was pleasantly surprised by it. The book covers World War II in chronological order, beginning with the end of World War I and the Treaty of Versailles and ending with the attacks in the Pacific. Like any good children's non-fiction book John Perritano offers key dates, important vocabulary and a wide scope of the war itself. The main reason I was surprised was the attention to the detail when it came to Japan's involvement in the war and the U.S.'s role. When I remember first learning about World War II that piece was always left to the end and rushed but Perritano truly takes the time to explore that side of the story. I was also excited by the incredible photography throughout the book. I would highly recommend this to any parent with a child excited in history and world events or teachers looking to teach the material. I would take into account that World War II content can be scary due to the horrific nature so an older child would be best. My copy also came with a DVD which would be perfect for a teacher or a general program.

[The Reading Countess · Rating 3 out of 5]

*donated at Book Fair
Nothing tells a story better than a well photographed picture. The photos of the Holocaust victims inside this skinny book on The Great War will leave a lasting impression on the reader. Having visited Buchenwald myself as a young girl, I know my own students will be shocked and will never view the world in quite the same way after learning about the horrid details of one of the greatest crimes in the history of mankind. Oh, and the incidental history of the war is also covered...
I plan on book talking this one during our unit on HF and dovetailing it into The Harmonica read aloud.

[Dayna Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute introduction to nonfiction.

[Alan Q · Rating 4 out of 5]

America at War: World war II is a non-fiction book that begins to tell how World War I came to an end with the Versailles and how it lead to revenge. Germany was forced to give up several of its land, colonies and army and they had to pay for the war damage from the First World War. A man name Adolf Hitler organized the National Socialist Party also known as the Nazi party and when he became Chancellor of Germany in 1933, he have helped rebuild Germany from its poverty and he also brainwashed people into blaming the Jews for all of Germany's economic struggle. Hitler and the Nazis started to create laws that ban the Jews from any freedom, start to take over several countries and once they took over Poland, France and Great Britain declared war and thus began the Second World War. Who gets involved? Who are the good and bad guys?

This book happens to have an excellent style by having the text and the photographs from the war blend in like the text was black while the background happens to be a photograph of the event in war. I like how this book happens to have accurate information like who started the war, how many people died and when did the war ended? I myself like to read books like this because it happens to leave me speechless about how one war have brought all of the countries in the world to it and how millions died because of prejudice and hatred. I recommend this book for teachers who are planning to teach about World War II and for children age 11 and above because it may have words that can be sensitive for several readers.

[Jen Wehage-Barrera · Rating 4 out of 5]

HS High/Low Book #2 - I reviewed two Hi/Lo books.

World War II is studied in high school history and is a popular topic. The topic has many layers (political, geographical, ethical, etc.) and there seems to be mountains of material available. This book is very interesting in its format. It has accurate pictures of key people and events mingled with graphically appealing text. Each element of this historical era is given its own section with strong colored headings and bold subheadings. There are black and white photographs in each section that helps deepen the understanding of the text. In addition, there are key vocabulary terms defined in boxes throughout the book and a timeline of major events.
Although the text is written at a fifth grade level, the content could be rather disturbing for a young reader. This book would be interesting for a high school student to help fully comprehend the dynamics of World War II. The way it's written with pictures seemingly flowing onto other pages makes the reader want to turn the page and continue reading. I would recommend this book to a student in grade 8 - 12 being that the topic involves genocide and other difficult aspects of war.

Target Audience: Ages 13 - 17

[Caroline Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a lot more questions about WWII after reading this book. I still want to explore the CDrom that came with it. It certainly piqued my interest in the topic. I really had to work at reading this book and kept a notebook of questions, which slowed my reading down, but helped keep me interested and focused. I wish there were more maps. Liked the timeline at the end. Used the glossary even when I thought I knew the word. Built up my war lingo.

[Liliane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked how the book was structured. In every other page there was a small text box that contained key words and their definition. I believe that this book was really informational in respect to WWII. It had good images to match the text. I liked the fact that this book focused in all the countries and not just the US.

[Paper Clippers]

World War II was the bloodiest and broadest conflict ever. From 1939 to 1945, the world went to arms as leaders in Germany, Japan, and Italy tried to dominate the globe. Learn how these brutal dictatorships were stopped, and how the war changed the world.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Factual account of the war...add to unit. Has accompanying CD