World War II for Kids: A History with 21 Activities (For Kids series) [Paperback]

Richard Panchyk (Author), Senator John McCain (Foreword)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: For Kids series

Now more than ever, kids want to know about our country's great struggles during World War II. This book is packed with information that kids will find fascinating, from Hitler's rise to power in 1933 to the surrender of the Japanese in 1945. Much more than an ordinary history book, it is filled with excerpts from actual wartime letters written to and by American and German troops, personal anecdotes from people who lived through the war in the United States, Germany, Britain, Russia, Hungary, and Japan, and gripping stories from Holocaust survivors-all add a humanizing global perspective to the war. This collection of 21 activities shows kids how it felt to live through this monumental period in history. They will play a rationing game or try the butter extender recipe to understand the everyday sacrifices made by wartime families. They will try their hands at military strategy in coastal defense, break a code, and play a latitude and longitude tracking game. Whether growing a victory garden or staging an adventure radio program, kids will appreciate the hardships and joys experienced on the home front.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

World War II for Kids: A History with 21 Activities by Richard Panchyk provides a comprehensive survey of the era, beginning with Hitler's rise to power in 1933 to the Japanese surrender in 1945 (a time line opens the volume). Wartime letters, interviews with former soldiers, ordinary citizens and Holocaust survivors provide a personal perspective. Activities include creating a CARE package for enlisted soldiers and writing and performing a radio adventure; Bill Clinton and John McCain provide forewords. Ages 9-up.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-7-In this introductory survey, Panchyk describes major events throughout the great conflict in nearly every theater of operation. While the main focus is on America's part in the war, life in England and other European countries is given careful attention. A special aspect of this work is the variety of informative activities appearing in substantial sidebars. Through them, readers can vicariously go on a reconnaissance mission, grow a victory garden, track a ship's movements using latitude and longitude, live on rations for a day, and experience other aspects of wartime life. Adult help and/or permission is suggested for many of the projects. One involves labeling alternate halves of a class of students with special armbands and simulating discrimination; teacher involvement is not mentioned in the instructions. Summarized or quoted first-person accounts by World War II participants are integral parts of this book, which also includes letters and journal entries by soldiers and civilians in both Allied and Axis countries. A large selection of black-and-white contemporary photographs and reproductions of such items as ration stamps and propaganda posters further contribute to the book's immediacy. Attention grabbers are a letter from former President Clinton, a short foreword by Senator John S. McCain, and an afterword by World War II veteran Senator Ernest "Fritz" Hollings.
Ann G. Brouse, Steele Memorial Library, Elmira, NY
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Chicago Review Press; 1 edition (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556524552
• ISBN-13: 978-1556524554
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 11 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,566 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #11 in Books > Children's Books > History > Military & Wars

More About the Author

Born in Queens, New York, Richard Panchyk attended the prestigious Stuyvesant High School. He received a Master's degree in Anthropology from the University of Massachusetts/Amherst, and also completed doctoral coursework there. He knew he wanted to be a writer by the time he was seven years old. He sold his first "book," a four-page handwritten trivia booklet, to a third grade classmate for five cents. In college, he held numerous positions on the student newspaper, including Editor-in-Chief. Among other things, he wrote more than 100 articles and published a cartoon called "Over the Ledge." He printed a small book of his poems at the age of 19, and published his first book with Van Nostrand Reinhold at the age of 21. Since then has published 17 books for a total of more than 2,400 pages, including eight books in the "For Kids" series published by Chicago Review Press.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What it was like for kids to live during World War II, January 28, 2004

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: World War II for Kids: A History with 21 Activities (For Kids series) (Paperback)

"World War II for Kids: A History with 21 Activities" really has three key components. First, there is a history of World War II from Hitler's rise to power in 1933 to the surrender of the Japanese in 1945. Second, Richard Panchyk provides excerpts from actual wartime letters written to and by troops on both sides along with personal anecdotes from people who lived through the war. Finally, there are 21 activities that can show young readers how it felt to live through World War II, both on the battlefield and on the Home Front.

Actually, the first function is the least impressive part of "World War II for Kids," although Panchyk provides a solid history of the war. It is just that the personal writings and recollections, along with the activities, are where Panchyk goes beyond what you would find in your standard American history textbook, which is why this is an excellent supplemental volume. Teachers can certainly use the activities and quote from the letters found in this volume to give students more of a sense of what it was like to live during that time.

The 21 activities are fairly interesting and cover a variety of subjects. Some are fairly complex, such as substituting a potato for an incendiary bomb and following the instructions on how to extinguish it, or staging a radio adventure program, while others are relatively simply, such as drawing a recruiting poster. There is an exercise in code breaking, learning how to camouflage, making a ration kit, going on a reconnaissance mission, figuring oat a coastal defense, the physics of dropping bombs, and a game that helps demonstrate the difference between mortar and howitzer fire versus anti-tank and anti-aircraft fire. There are also "Home Front" activities like making a bandage, putting together a care package, growing a Victory Garden, sending V-Mail, and extending butter, as well as a couple of activities having to do with the Holocaust by making a Jewish star and trying to find good hiding places in your home for the student and an adult helper.

Obviously some of these activities are going to be more practical and more beneficial than others, but Panchyk has made an attempt to come up with different ways of giving his young readers an idea of what it was like for kids and adults during World War II. Again, while young readers can certainly read this book and try the activities on their own, "World War II for Kids" is even better suited as a resource for teachers to use when teaching the pivotal events of World War II. Comparing what life was like for their grandparents during that war as opposed to the rather limited impact on their lives today during the war on terrorism could be quite an eye opener for young readers.

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 7 year old loves this book, June 3, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: World War II for Kids: A History with 21 Activities (For Kids series) (Paperback)

My 7 year old son is a WWII fanatic and loves this book. It discusses not only events in the war itself, but also the impact of the war on life in the U.S. The activities encourage kids to think about far-reaching effects of war, not just the exciting battles.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Decent Introduction on the Subject, August 18, 2008

By 

T. Leach "Jr." (Mid-West) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: World War II for Kids: A History with 21 Activities (For Kids series) (Paperback)

This book generally delivers on its purpose, which is to introduce young readers to the important topic of World War II. In my estimation, if your child isn't already interested, this book may not necessarily awaken him or her (Ambrose's "The Good Fight" is better), but for your interested son or daughter, ages 8 to 13 or so, this is a useful resource. As a history it is pretty light, but it is not a bad overview, and provides some great insight into the Home Front and other non-traditional perspectives on the War. There are a few WW-II themed crafts and activity ideas, all of which are pointless and the very type of things that children and their parents ignore the world over.