World War I for Kids: A History With 21 Activities

World War I for Kids: A History with 21 Activities. R. Kent Rasmussen. 2014. Chicago Review Press. 192 pages. [Source: Review copy]

World War I, or "The Great War," is a complex subject or topic. It can be difficult for adults to understand at times. I thought Rasmussen did an admirable job in simplifying it for middle grade readers in his World War I for Kids. He breaks the war down into twelve chapters:

• The Road to War
• Stalemate on the Western Front
• Trench Warfare
• Other Fronts
• The Weapons of War
• The War at Sea
• The War in the Air
• Animals Go to War
• Enter the United States
• The Home Fronts
• Ending the Fighting
• Beyond the Armistice

Each chapter has at least one activity associated with it. For example, the first chapter, "The Road to War," the activity is making a military recruiting poster. The activities vary, which, in my opinion, is a very good thing. Other activities include: writing a poem about the war, pressing flowers to send home from the war, reading a world war I era adventure novel, making parachutes and gas masks, training a dog to carry a message, cooking "Maconochie Stew." There are twenty-one activities in all.

I found the book to be informative, very well-researched. The layout was nice as well, plenty of photographs and maps. It is always important for nonfiction to be as appealing as possible. As I was reading it, a few Horrible Histories sketches came to mind, which was good fun.

© 2014 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews