The Civil War

June 1, 2011

Gr 4-6-With its short sentences, chapter divisions, and colorful layouts, this book will attract young readers. Rosenberg describes six major players who "definitely...had a hand in the outcome" of the Civil War: Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Clara Barton, George McClellan, Robert E. Lee, and Mathew Brady. The short biographies relate facts about each person's childhood, major accomplishments, and importance to the others, and how the conflict would have turned out differently without them. The text is supplemented with numerous historical photographs and sidebars. Social studies teachers could use this book as a platform for discussion about the Civil War.-Patricia Ann Owens, Illinois Eastern Community Colleges

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2011
Grades 4-6 This collective biography in the Profiles series introduces Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Clara Barton, George McClellan, Robert E. Lee, and Matthew Brady. Single-paragraph summaries of each subject's historical relevance are followed by r'sum's of their lives that focus on how each affected and was affected by the Civil War and that point out connections between them all. The glossy pages, color-coded chapters, short sentences, and occasional exclamation marks put a fresh spin on similar information found in textbooks, encyclopedias, and electronic resources, and constitute a backpack-ready, compact package. Archival photographs are instructive, although occasionally their placement and captions disagree with the main text. In conclusion, the book attempts to build further connections along the lines suggested by the series' tagline, One Event, Six People, and makes a strong case for a concluding statement that each person profiled was a hero of the Civil War.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)