Dolly's Reviews > Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood

With its graphic novel format, this informative and entertaining history book is sure to appeal to older children. It's the fourth book in the Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series and I am sure that these books will be popular in the schools.

The narrative is comprised mainly of dialogue, and the cartoonish illustrations have a limited color scheme. I would recommend the book for older children, mainly those in middle school, due to some of the disturbing content and in this case, the 'gallows humor.'

The author covers the entirety of World War I in this book, but emphasizes a few times that it is impossible to cover every aspect of the war and lists several aspects of the conflict that he could not even begin to discuss, given the length of the book.

Still, the story is packed with details and highlights the major technological advances that transitioned warfighting during this time. It also uses anthropomorphic animals to represent the various nations, which lessens some of the graphic nature of the violent war, as well as helps to identify and keep straight the myriad participants.

Overall, it's a well-written story and really is a good addition to this fun and informative series. I like that the books cover serious, even difficult topics with a great deal of respect, but also a tidge of humor as well. I especially loved the quotes from famous people/participants in the conflict - the research babies are doing a great job!

interesting quotes:

"Belgium doesn't make war, they make chocolate." (p. 31)


quote from Ernest Hemingway: "World War I was the most colossal, murderous, mismanaged butchery that has ever taken place on Earth." (p. 121)

quote from John Steinbeck: "All war is a symptom of man's failure as a thinking animal." (p. 121)

"'It was called the War to End All Wars.'
'Was it? Did it end all wars?'
'No. It didn't. But it changed all wars. Men rode in on horses...
and rode out in tanks.'" (p. 122)