Rolling Thunder

Rolling Thunder. Kate Messner. Illustrated by Greg Ruth. 2017. Scholastic. 32 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Rolling Thunder, freedom ride, today we'll be at Grandpa's side. Early morning, leaving home, gleaming wheels and polished chrome. Grandpa rides for Joe and Tom, friends he lost in Vietnam. Clicking clacking railroad track, our trip is for Uncle Zach, flying airplanes far away. His picture rides with me today.

Premise/plot: A child and his grandfather participate in the Rolling Thunder Ride for Freedom on Memorial Day in Washington, D.C. It's written in verse, and is rich in descriptive language.

For example, Memories. Speeches. Quiet crowd. Bugle song, and heads are bowed.

My thoughts: I liked it. I think it fills a definite need. There aren't that many picture books I can recollect that explain--in vivid ways--the importance of honoring and remembering veterans. It may be a picture book for older readers as well. I had not heard of Rolling Thunder before reading this picture book, so it's always nice--in my opinion--to learn something new while reading.

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10

© 2017 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews