To continue reading, please subscribe to the Horn Book Guide Online.
An individual subscription is just $48 and gets you a full year of unlimited access to trusted reviews of all recommended hardcover trade books published in the United States for young people. (Institutional subscriptions are also available.) Subscribe today!
The Horn Book Guide Online is fully searchable by author/illustrator, title, subject, bibliographic data, rating, and keyword. New features include useful, timely, and topical booklists—curated by Horn Book editors and updated frequently—as well as the ability to save all your favorite titles to “My Library.”
Log In
Don't have a Horn Book Guide Account?
Register Now
Register Now
McCutcheon, John
2 Reviews
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Kristy Caldwell.
In this thought-provoking story, fictional boy Drasko experiences the restorative power of small acts of kindness and hope: real-life cellist Vedran Smailović honors the twenty-two victims of a 1992 Sarajevo mortar attack by playing at the attack site the following twenty-two days. Gray-toned art using ink, charcoal, pencil, and Photoshop finds beauty in a war-ravaged place. Notes, music, and an audio CD included.
Reviewer: Debora Pearson
(3)
K-3
Illustrated by
Henri Sørensen.
Eloquent oil paintings illustrate the story of an unofficial World War I Christmas truce, narrated by a grandfather. The bleakness of the trenches is balanced by McCutcheon's emphasis on the indomitable spark of humanity. Based on the author's 1984 folk song, the book displays a gentle and moving example of how to create peace. An author's note, musical score, and CD are included.
Reviewer: Cindy Lombardo
2 reviews