Editorial Reviews
This picture-book-format young adult offering is the best of the five titles in publisher Sea-to-Sea's long-on-design and short-on-substance "World War II" series. Perhaps it is inherently so, as WWII may best be understood battle-by-battle as is this title's strategy. But credit where it is due: each two-page spread opens with a bold-faced preface that sums up and contextualizes the significance of the battle at hand. Sidebars illuminate the key to the outcome, be it a new weapon or a capable general, and brief timelines do a good job of establishing the background, though the maps are more pretty than useful. Also not useful is the subtle but potent editorial slant. For example, in his preface to Pearl Harbor, the author writes, "Now the world's most powerful country could enter the war." Would that be the country then gripped by economic depression? The U.S. bombing of Tokyo is also noticeably absent. Using fewer than 3,000 words—that's roughly 12 double-spaced typewritten pages—of narrative content this well-displayed overview could certainly make a good introduction to further study, but don't rely on it for the full story. Other features include a glossary, index, and list of websites. No further bibliography is provided. Reviewer: Tracy Koretsky
