America at War: Poems Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins (Hardcover)

~ (Editor), (Illustrator)
Key Phrases: The United States, John Sullivan, World War

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* This handsome anthology, expressing Americans’ varied experience during wartime, is a fine selection of poems accessible to children. Each poem appears on one or two pages, accompanied by strong, yet graceful illustrations. Though not all  content is tied to a particular conflict and not all the poets are American, the poems work well together to represent book’s sections: the American Revolution, the Civil War, World Wars I and II, and the wars in Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, and Iraq. Each section begins with a short quote from a philosopher, political leader, or military officer and a few brief comments on the conflict. Once the poems begin, though, readers will be transported from the broad view to the particulars by the thoughts, words, and experiences of people affected by war in different ways. The poems will touch readers with their sharp poignancy and undeniable power. Throughout the well-designed book, the expressive watercolor artwork enhances the poetry and gives a sweeping sense of unity and dignity to diverse points of view. Grades 5-8. --Carolyn Phelan

Product Description

In this ever-timely collection of more than fifty poems and paintingsdivided into eight sections, one of America's most distinguished poets and anthologists, Lee Bennett Hopkins, and internationally acclaimed painter and printmaker Stephen Alcorn trace emotions of warfare from the American Revolution to the Iraq War.

Warfare has taken -- continues to take -- a tremendous toll on every man, woman, and child in our society as war weaves itself into the fabric of our shared past, present, and future. Raw emotions and results of warfare are expressed here through voices of beloved poets such as Langston Hughes, Carl Sandburg, Walt Whitman, Denise Levertov, and e. e. cummings -- and are movingly combined with voices of newer poets, including several soldiers who had courage to write poetry from front lines.

America at War exposes effects of war through hearts of poets and eyes of the artist, paying fitting tribute to those who have served, those now serving, and those who have given their lives so we all may live in peace.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (March 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416918329
• ISBN-13: 978-1416918325
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 9.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #506,006 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)