Honor Flight: Celebrating America’s Veterans by Jeff Gottesfeld, Illustrated by Matt Tavares

 

“Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” – President John F. Kennedy, Inaugural address, January 20, 1961

Is there a war memorial that is special to you?  I think all of the memorials in Washington DC are awe inspiring and inspirational but visiting the Vietnam memorial with my best friend in high school while she searched for her uncle’s name really brought home to me the sacrifice that many soldiers have made through the years for our country.  I like visiting war memorials in local communities as well and giving a moment of silence to those that lost their lives for our country.

Honor Flight: Celebrating America’s Veterans is a great illustrated book for children to learn about war heroes, veterans, and honor flights and is perfect for Memorial Day.  This book does a great job of describing what a veteran is and follows a veteran that does not want to be forgotten.  He receives a call from the Honor Flight Network.  The book explains that Honors Flights bring aging veterans to Washington DC to visit the memorials.  The veteran makes his visit and gets to see many important memorials that are described.  The veteran feels valued on his trip and on the way home he receives a special package with heartfelt letters from many people in his community.  He learns when he gets home that Troy, the guardian who guided him through the journey, was a teacher and his fourth-grade class had raised the funds for him to go. 

A great afterward tells more detail about how the Honor Flights were started and the Notes section gives more detail on the places visited and terms used in the text.

The illustrations were bright, colorful, and went perfectly with the story.

Overall, Honor Flight:  Celebrating America’s Veterans by Jeff Gottesfeld, Illustrated by Matt Tavares brought a tear to my eye.  This is a great illustrated children’s book that is perfect to explain Honor Flights and veterans to children or maybe adults too that are looking for an uplifting read.

Book Source:  Review copy from Candlewick Press.  Thank-you!

Top Kid Thanksgiving Books

I know, I know, I should have posted this last week.  Trying to get everything packed up for our trip to Michigan to visit my family and also get my job work done got me behind on what I wanted to post on my blog.  I thought since I had this mostly set, I should still post it!

Over the River and Through the Woods by Lydia Marie Child, Illustrated by Matt Tavares

My five year old daughter, Penelope, LOVES this book and we have checked it out from the library the last few years at the holidays.  It’s a good Thanksgiving and Christmas book.  Penelope and I love to sing the book as I remember singing this song in music class long ago when I was a child. I didn’t know then that it was originally a poem written by Lydia Marie Child in the 19^th century. Penelope loves the beautiful illustrations by Matt Tavares, including a story behind the story when a hat is lost and a dog picks it up chasing the family to return.  She also loves the two dogs snuggling at the end.

Turkey Trouble by Wendi Silvano, Illustrated by Lee Harper

Turkey Trouble is a silly story of a turkey who doesn’t want to end of being the main course of this year’s Thanksgiving dinner so he tries to disguise himself as other animals.  The audiobook is delightful and Penelope loves the ending.  There is also a follow up Christmas book that we enjoy.

 

Magic Treehouse #27 Thanksgiving on Thursday by Mary Pope Osborne

Jack and Annie travel in their magic treehouse to the very first Thanksgiving and meet the pilgrims.  They befriend Pricilla and help to prepare the meal.  My seven year old son Daniel really enjoyed this book.  He especially loved how Squanto helped Jack and Annie out to explain to the wondering pilgrims where they came from.

The Truths and Myths about Thanksgiving by L.A. Peacock

Kile (9 years old) and I read this book together.  The book is set up with short interesting sections with a lot of great information about the pilgrims from why they left England, their voyage, and their early settlement.  Kile really liked the quizzes (multiple choice) and myth and fact sections throughout the book.  He would cover up the answers and quiz me before I could see.  It was a fast read and a book that we both enjoyed.