The Civil War

Gr 4–8—Lengthy overviews of key United States—involved conflicts, though the format is odd. With each volume made up of about 30 chapters, information is often needlessly divided up. For instance, each chapter consists of four pages. The first has a small picture, a famous quote, or a tiny map in the middle of an otherwise blank page; the second describes the chapter’s intent; the third contains a few blocks of text; and the fourth includes a full-page photo. These illustrations are puzzling at times; in Civil War, a photo of soldier's supplies on display features a blanket, boots, shoes, officer's gloves, two guns, a tool kit, a hammer, a hat, and a hook. Based on this, it would be easy to assume soldiers were well equipped when oftentimes they were not. Readers might wonder, too, why the hook? Its purpose is not addressed.