Title: The Wall
ISBN:0-395-51588-2
Author: Eve Bunting, Illustrator: Ronald Himler
Date of publication:1990
Award won: Eve Bunting is a Caldecott Medal winner
Age recommendation:6-9
Group represented: Soliders in the Vietnam War, their families, the men and women of the United States

The Wall by Bunting tells of a young boy and his father who take a trip to visit The Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This wall honors the soliders of the armed forces who lost their lives in battle. The memorial is located in Washington DC. There are more than 58,000 names on this wall according to Bunting's book. The father in the book brings his son to the wall to search for his father's name, his son's grandpa, who died in the war. It takes them along time to find his name and when they do it is a sad time for them. The boy and his father wish their dad and grandpa could be with them today. Many other people come to visit the wall while they are standing there, all for different reasons. When the father and son leave, the father leaves a picture of his son so his dad can see his grandson.


This would be a good book to teach students about the history of wars in the United States. It could also be used to teach students about Washington DC and how many historical momuments there are to visit and how much history there is to see. It could be used to teach about the sad things that sometimes happen during wars. Also, that not all kids have grandparents, every family is unique.