Customer Reviews
World War II For Kids - By: Coolreader, 28 Nov 2008 
This book is soley for the American market & bears no resemblance to European history - we decided to dispose of the book rather than pass it to our children!
What it was like for U.S. kids to live during World War II - By: Lawrance M. Bernabo, 28 Jan 2004 
"World War II for Kids: A History with 21 Activities" really has three key components. First, there is a history of World War II from Hitler's rise to powerin 1933 to the surrender of the Japanesein 1945. Second, Richard Panchyk provides excerpts from actual wartime letters written to & by troops on both sides along with personal anecdotes from people who lived through the war. Finally, there are 21 activities that can show young readers how it felt to live through World War II, both on the battlefield & on the Home Front.
Actually, the first function is the least impressive part of "World War II for Kids," although Panchyk provides a solid history of the war. It is just that the personal writings & recollections, along with the activities, are where Panchyk goes beyond what you would findin your standard American history textbook, which is why this is an excellent supplemental volume. Teachers can certainly use the activities & quote from the letters foundin this volume to give students more of a sense of what it was like to live during that time.
The 21 activities are fairly interesting & cover a variety of subjects. Some are fairly complex, such as substituting a potato for an incendiary bomb & following the instructions on how to extinguish it, or staging a radio adventure program, while others are relatively simply, such as drawing a recruiting poster. There is an exercisein code breaking, learning how to camouflage, making a ration kit, going on a reconnaissance mission, figuring oat a coastal defense, the physics of dropping bombs, & a game that helps demonstrate the difference between mortar & howitzer fire versus anti-tank & anti-aircraft fire. There are also "Home Front" activities like making a bandage, putting together a care package, growing a Victory Garden, sending V-Mail, & extending butter, as well as a couple of activities having to do with the Holocaust by making a Jewish star & trying to find good hiding placesin your home for the student & an adult helper.
Obviously some of these activities are going to be more practical & more beneficial than others, but Panchyk has made an attempt to come up with different ways of giving his young readers an idea of what it was like for kids & adults during World War II. Again, while young readers can certainly read this book & try the activities on their own, "World War II for Kids" is even better suited as a resource for teachers to use when teaching the pivotal events of World War II. Comparing what life was like for their grandparents during that war as opposed to the rather limited impact on their lives today during the war on terrorism could be quite an eye opener for young readers.
Note: There are companion volumes from Chicago Review Press that provide similar looks at the American Revolution & Civil War.
