America's White Table

Tonight I have another book that would be a great read for Veteran's Day.  In the past I have read a few pages out of a little non-fiction Veteran's Day holiday book, and that was about it as far as literature went.  However, when I started really looking for books this year I found a few that sounded really good.  The first was Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot, which I've already shared and one called America's White Table.  I read the summary on Amazon and decided to check into it.  I ordered it from my local library and when I picked it up the first thing I noticed was that both books are by the same author, Margot Theis Raven.  I had no idea!  Now I am really intrigued..... I need to know more about her.  I think she just may be my favorite historical fiction author.  I'll see if I can share more about her soon.  :) 

Now, on to the book.....

Here is "an outstanding work that presents a fairly 'heavy' topic so that youngsters can understand it...." this is a portion of a comment by Paul Galanti, a Vietnam POW, on the book jacket and I thought it was a great description.  Now I'll tell you a little more about it in my own (less eloquent) words.  Remember I teach kindergarten and try to keep it simple.  :) 

This book is about the "white table" tradition.  Now, I am an all American gal and I had no idea what this tradition is all about.  Am I the only one? Did all of you know about it?  Did I fall asleep in history that day?  I learned from this book that it started after the Vietnam War to honor the POWs and MIAs.  I love that there are books like this to remind us of traditions and to tell the stories that we may not have heard. 

The story is a mom telling her girls about the reason they are setting a little white table.  Her Uncle John is coming over for dinner on Veteran's Day and she learns that he was a POW in Vietnam.  Mom explains throughout the book what the white tablecloth, lemon slice, salt, black napkin, white candle, empty glass, red rose and empty chair mean.  Katie's heart swells with pride for her uncle.  She and her sisters decide to make a gift to put on the table to honor veteran's but she can't decide what to make.  As the book concludes she finally figures it out what she will make.  I think you will really like her gift.  

I love the illustrations and they make the story come alive.  There is a mixture of present day and images from Vietnam with the lyrics of "My County, 'Tis of Thee" sprinkled on the pages.  Mike Benny is the illustrator, and this is his first children's book.  He did a great job and I hope to see more from him. 

After reading this book, I feel like I learned a lot (again) and my heart is full of pride for all of our soldiers and the sacrifices they make or are willing to make.  I want to grab my little housekeeping table in my class and set it up.  I think this would be a concrete way for children to begin to grasp Veteran's Day  and the visual reminder would be fantastic set up in the class for a few days.  I bet it is something they would remember and talk about for a long time!

Keep reading, 

Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot

Have you read this book?  It is a great book!  A couple of years ago I was fortunate to be chosen to take part in a Teaching American History grant.  It was wonderful in so many ways, but one of the things I loved was that they emphasized using good literature to teach history.  Several books were shared throughout the grant and this is one of them.  I flipped through the book and thought it would be one I might like to read, but then we moved on to something else..... you know how it goes. 

So, now Veteran's Day is right around the corner and I'm looking for some good children's lit.  I remembered this book and checked it out.  I love it for so many reasons..... first, the illustrations are beautiful.  I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves!

This is the inside cover of the book.  The subtitle is "A True Story of the Berlin Airlift and The Candy That Dropped From The Sky". How cute is this drawing of candy dropping?

Here are a couple of pages from the book.

Next, it is historical fiction based on a actual events.  I really didn't know anything about the Berlin Airlift. There is a page that explains it in a way that is easy to understand. I love learning about something or someone through children's lit.  It makes me want to dig in and learn more.... you know maybe even read something written for adults! :)  Gail Halverson is the pilot who came to be known as "the chocolate pilot". Also, there is a great epilogue that tells a little more of the story.   As far as I could tell Halverson is still alive. This book really gives the reader a lot of information, even if you don't read it all to your class or child. 

Gail Halverson as a young pilot.

Lastly,  this story is about war, more specifically the aftermath of war, but it is also about hope and it is child centered.  I really think school aged children (and adults!) could identify with this book.  I plan to read it to my kindergarten class. I may even end it with a chocolate treat.  It will be a little long for them, so I will break it up into segments, but I think they will enjoy it. It will be part of my Veteran's Day study, but I know our 5th graders do something about WWII and maybe even the Berlin Airlift.  I could see this being a great resource for them. 

I hope I've made you want to know the whole story.  See if your library has it, and enjoy the story.  It is by Margot Theis Raven and illustrated by Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen.  Also, take a minute or two to thank a Veteran you know for their service!

Keep reading,