D-Day: The Invasion of Normany, 1944
by Rick Atkinson
Henry Holt, 2014. 202 pgs. Nonfiction
Rick Atkinson is the Pulitzer Prize winning author of the Liberation Trilogy about World War II and this book is an adaptation of the last book in this series for young people. This Friday, June 6, marks the 70th anniversary of the Allied invasion of France, and the book beautifully recounts the events of that day with Atkinson's signature mix of broad strokes and fine overviews with the firsthand accounts of the soldiers, sailors, and airmen who were there. In fact, the book begins with a fine series of preparatory charts and explanations of map legends, principals in the battle divided into Allied and Axis camps, and a helpful timeline of World War II in general. Although the book is readily accessible to interested young people of, say, fifth grade on up, Atkinson doesn't dumb anything down. Unfamiliar vocabulary is understandable in context or by the use of an appended glossary. Kids will not only learn about Utah Beach and Omaha Beach, but how the soldiers coming ashore were killed, or were able to fight their way inland. Atkinson's prose is precise and engaging, never overbearing. Numerous pictures from the actual day of battle highlight the text. It is hard to imagine a better book to read before Independence Day, or to describe and explain one of the most important battles in history.
