Shortlist Finalist in the Texas Institute of Letters/H-E-B Jean Flynn Children’s Book Award
Japan’s surprise attack on December 7, 1941, devastated the American Naval Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and forced America into World War II. These moving accounts of the lives affected by the assault capture the scope of the day’s emotions and its influence on generations.
Author Sherry Garland’s thorough research provides a background to sixteen historical and representational characters that come alive on the pages of this book. Through compelling narratives and haunting imagery, readers follow along on that fateful day as a Japanese aviator wears the belt his mother stitched for luck, an American soldier tries to arm himself during the attack, a ship’s cook takes charge of a powerful gun to defend his country, and a small boy watches the USS Arizona go down in flames. The generational impact is evident years later as a young girl and her grandfather seek healing at the USS Arizona Memorial. These heart-wrenching events play out against powerful illustrations that bring the people—and the story—to life.
About the Author
Sherry Garland has written thirty books and won more than forty awards, including an ALA Notable and a Reading Rainbow book selection. She enjoys writing about history and created her Voices Series to bring a personal note to pivotal moments in America’s past. The series includes Voices of the Dust Bowl, Voices of Gettysburg, and Voices of the Alamo. Her other titles include Best Horse on the Force, The Buffalo Soldier, and Children of the Dragon: Selected Tales from Vietnam, available from Pelican. Garland is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She lives in central Texas.
About the Illustrator
Layne Johnson considers illustrating children’s books an adventure and has completed more than twenty titles, including Pelican’s The Declaration of Independence from A to Z. Johnson visited many of the sites in Oahu to make this story come to life. His vibrant paintings give depth to the story and invite the reader to enter into the writer’s world. Johnson has earned several honors, including the Western Heritage Award and the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award, and is also a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. A native Texan, Johnson makes his home in Houston.
VOICES OF PEARL HARBOR
By Sherry Garland
Illustrated by Layne Johnson
JUVENILE NONFICTION / History / Military & Wars
JUVENILE NONFICTION / History / United States / 20th Century
JUVENILE NONFICTION / History / United States / State & Local
40 pp. 10 1/2 x 9 1/2
37 color illus. Glossary Biblio.
ISBN: 9781455616091