Nearly half of this volume is devoted to events leading up to the attack at Pearl Harbor. This lack of drama is mirrored in the color illustrations, which--depicting government typists at work and soldiers lining up for physicals--often have a utilitarian feel. This treatment seems unlikely to grab the interest of the newly independent readers the series is trying to reach.

Gr 2-4-This excellent introduction to Pearl Harbor and World War II opens with Secretary of State Cordell Hull angrily greeting Japanese representatives on December 7, 1941, even before news of the attack has reached him. What he does know is that Japan has been deceiving the U.S. Krensky goes on to describe the history of Japan's economic and political expansion in Asia, the European war, President Roosevelt's willingness to assist the Allies, and how continuing recovery from the Depression limited the U.S.'s full participation in the war prior to Pearl Harbor. He explains the purpose of the attack and Japan's belief that the U.S. would be unable to retaliate. The attack itself is described accurately, with good detail, showing how overwhelming the destruction was and how this encouraged and almost created patriotism in the United States. The pen-and-ink and pastel-wash illustrations on every spread are realistic and detailed; the scenes of destruction leave no doubt about the devastation, but are not disturbingly graphic. This book, with its easy chapters and complex sentences, will appeal to newly independent readers.-Susan Lissim, Dwight School, New York City Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.