Gr 2-4 In Polacco's latest picture book based on true events, Johnnie Wallen is only 15 years old when he leaves his backwoods Kentucky home to join the army after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. In spite of his youth, Johnnie's accuracy with a rifle earns him the respect of the other soldiers and many dangerous missions. Arriving with his unit in the Philippines, he is tired of fighting and of the hot, steamy jungle. He happens upon a little Filipino girl who shows him how to soothe his bug bites using local plants. Unable to pronounce "Kentucky Johnnie," she calls him "Tucky Jo." He calls her Little Heart, after the birthmark on her arm. In time, Johnnie meets the villagers and his fellow soldiers share their rations with them. When the soldiers receive news that the area is to be firebombed, Johnnie sees to it that the villagers are evacuated when the troops leave. After World War II ends, Johnnie marries his childhood sweetheart. Sixty-five years later, he is patriarch to a large family but his health is failing. In an amazingyet trueturn of events, he is found by Little Heart. Now a nurse, she happily repays Tucky Jo's kindness. Polacco echoes her main character's Kentucky dialect in the longish text, making the book more suitable for reading aloud to younger children. Spreads done in her signature style with colored pencils and markers portray the weary determination of the soldiers, Little Heart's emotions, and wartime conditions. The final reunion picture is poignant and memorable. VERDICT This beautifully crafted work is a testament to human kindness. Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT

During WWII, a young Kentucky soldier stationed in the Philippines helps a little girl and the people of her village to get food and escape an attack. Years later, the girl, now a nurse, helps the veteran with his medical care. A full-page author's note at the beginning of the book explains that Polacco heard the story from Johnnie Wallen (Tucky Jo) when he was an older man. She puts the narrative in his voice, using a conversational tone and suggesting his accent in the phrasing. Children will need help with some older idioms, but figuring out his meaning helps readers understand the character. This wartime story is serious, and it's best suited to readers slightly older than the typical picture-book audience. The pencil-and-marker illustrations depict anxiety, fear, and fatigue, but do not show the worst aspects of war and death. Since the book presents Wallen's view, there are few details from the perspective of Little Heart/Nurse Zaballa. This book would be a good choice for WWII and Veterans Day programs.