Civil War Drummer boy
This book tells the story of a moderately rich young confederate boy with owners of slaves when the Civil War breaks out, Joining the confederates as a drummer boy. His job is to play rhythms of enemy troops position throughout the Unit. And after seeing the atrocities of war, and the pain it causes others. He comes to terms with the change America is going through and adapts his life accordingly. And employs all the slaves that he lost in the aftermath of the war. All told in a short poem that uses imagery to get the message across

All in all. This was a pretty good poem. Good at highlighting the cruelness of war through its art but it comes at a cost of normalizing a serious issue. But first I want to talk about the memory, and I think this book being a poem and choosing to relay all its messages through story and getting the point across through the art is a great idea. And work to its strength of showing war. I can see this being an easy access to show little kids how bad the war was without being overly graphic. As for the art it was well colored and well-drawn with details found in even the little parts. All of the book was covered in art with no space in the book unused which I think is a great plus for kids. Every page was a work of art and this add to a lot of enjoyment to the books. And the words they use in the poem are average. Nothing special. And it does give great interesting information on war and tells the perspective of one side. However, this gets my first ever 0 for message for numerous reasons. First it tells its story though a confederate point of view. This is not bad on its own but mentions the main character owning slaves like it’s a casual ok thing that is not brought up again in the book nor is it shown how cruel slavery is. Nor did they truly grasp what the war was fighting for. I understand that this was told from the point of view of a kid who did not know. But the lack of inclusion of any of why they are fighting or what it means to own slaves can confuse readers to thinking the confederates are the good guys. And that what they were fighting for was an equal cause. It does not help that the boy just rehires the slaves at the end and nothing much changes. This is an AWEFUL message to send to kids about the civil war and the true impact slavery and what the war was about. But saying this, if your students have a FULL grasp of the slavery and the hardships of the civil war it’s a good read. But I can see this being dangerous to those who pick it up without a shelf and read it without an explanation. And shows what an awful message can do to a student’s perception of an event. Maybe give through ages 5-8th to show the opposing viewpoint of a war but keep it away from impressionable kids.
Memorability 4/5
Enjoyment 3/5
Art 5/5
Message 0/5
Word Difficulty: 2.5/5
Interesting Information 3/5
Overall:2/5, a below average book I can’t recommend reading to children
Best use: for a way to show the other side of a war to humanize them for older kids. ( )

This book tells the story about a young drummer boy that played in the Civil War. The illustrations give a great effect to the story that is surrounding the pages. I liked how the story rhymed so it was easy to follow and I think it would be a great story to read to children and teach them about the Civil War. ( )

This book tells a story about the civil war. Johnny lived on a plantation that had slaves. When the war started, he joined and brought his drumsticks along for the ride. I liked many things about thus book but one thing that really caught my eye, as a reader, was the illustrations. They were colorful, but not too bright for the setting of the book. They were also realistic but, not so much that they were dull. They represented the text very well and I think they only added to the greatness of the book. I would love to read this book in a classroom because this can teach children about the civil war and keep them engaged in reading. I found this book to be realistic but, not too much for children to handle. I think the author found the perfect medium and wrote a wonderful book. Lastly, I found the rhyming of the poems fun, as it felt like a song with pictures, which I think children would definitely enjoy. ( )

This book gives you a very brief and basic knowledge of the civil war. Considering on who the book is aimed for I think this amount is fine. It tells the reader why the war happened and minimal affects of what happened after it. If children don’t know much about the civil war this book would be a good introduction into furthering their knowledge. The illustrations would keep them invested and the story is pretty entertaining. The only gripe with I have with the book is actually how brief it is. I’m not sure if this book was aimed at kids who already know of the war or if the book is encourage kids to do research on their own. ( )

When the Civil War hits the south, Johnny joins the Confederates as a drummer boy. As a drummer, he must signal the army to certain commands. Only nine, Johnny witnesses the bloodiest war on American soil and when he returns home, everything he ever knew has changed.

Written in short poetic stanzas, this book is easy and quick to read for small readers. Even though the stanzas are short, they hold a lot of information. They are mostly written descriptively, but tell the story through sensory details. I liked that the very first and last stanzas were the same. Even though the war has torn Johnny's home apart, the magnolia trees and shady porches are still there to welcome him. The poetry is accompanied by gruesome images of fallen soldiers, gunfire, and destruction done in water colored sketches. The first images of Johnny's home show him and his (I'm assuming) siblings playing while the slaves work the cotton fields. In the last images, Johnny and his family are working together with the freed slaves, all piling cotton into a wagon and offering lemonade to one another. It's a good contrast and outcome to the devastation of the war. Not everything was bad, as these last images show, and it leaves a feeling of hope.

The author's note gives more background information on the role of drummer boys in the Civil War. This is good for introducing the war to young children and showing that even children were involved. ( )