Hopkins, Lee Bennett. America at War. Illustrated by Stephen Alcorn. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2008.
America at War begins with an introduction by Lee Bennett Hopkins. In this introduction, Hopkins stresses that the book is “not about war. It is about the poetry of war” (Hopkins 2008). The table of contents in this anthology shows the book divided into sections by war; from the Revolutionary War to the Iraq War, each section begins with a quote and an introduction to the specific war. The poems depict America’s experiences throughout history.
Each poem is paired with simple, colorful paintings
depicting some part of the interpretation of the poem. The watercolors are similar in colors and
simplicity and provide cohesiveness throughout the book. As readers move through the pages of the
book, the poems carry them through the particulars of each war. Many of the poems have a tough, sad theme,
but with war, it couldn’t be much else.
The poems are quite descriptive with the raw emotions of each author
coming through in the words of each line.
Readers will find examples of rhyme in “Stanzas” but most of
the poems are written in the free verse style.
Typically, each poem is given its own page, but the few with two pages
are found on the front and back of a page.
The order of the poems seems important to Hopkins, so using a two-page
spread was not an option.
“Missing”
by Cynthia Cotton
My brother is a soldier
in a hot, dry,
sandy place.
He’s missing –
missing things like
baseball, barbecues,
fishing, French fries,
chocolate sodas,
flame-red maple trees,
blue jays,
and snow.
I’m missing, too –
missing
his read-out-loud voice,
his super-special
banana pancakes,
his scuffed up shoes
by the back door,
his big-bear
good-night
hug.
There are people
with guns
in that land of sand
who want to shoot my brother.
I hope
they miss him,
too.
Before reading this poem:
(A word of caution- If students
have a family member in active war, I would not use this. It might be over-emotional for the student.)
Ask:
Have you ever had someone close to
you go away for a while? What did you
miss about them while they were gone?
Follow-up:
Write
letters to servicemen and women stationed overseas.
These are a few organizations that
help letters arrive in service people’s hands.
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