The Soldier’s Friend
Walt Whitman's Extraordinary Service in the American Civil War
Format:
Available from:
Published by Calkins Creek (2024-09-17)
A Kirkus Best Picture Book of the Year
Walt Whitman is celebrated as an iconic American poet, but few know of the crucial and heroic role he played tending to the wounded and dying in Civil War hospitals. This nonfiction picture book highlights Whitman’s compassion and teaches an important lesson about empathy, making this a perfect social-emotional learning title for young readers.
★ Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★ Publishers Weekly, starred review
In December of 1862, Walt Whitman left Brooklyn, New York, for the war-torn South after seeing his brother's name on a list of wounded Union soldiers. What he found on the battlefields completely changed his life, as he came face to face with not only the wounded, but the dying. Whitman spent the next three years working part-time in Washington, DC, visiting and ministering to soldiers in the city’s many military hospitals. Caring for the sick and dying was not easy, but Whitman was committed to his chosen service. He became known as "the soldiers’ friend," and was bound—in his own way—to save and heal the America he wrote about and loved so deeply.
New York Times-bestselling author Gary Golio and Caldecott Honor artist E. B. Lewis bring Whitman’s story and his passion for America to life, complete with quotes from Whitman’s works, and extensive backmatter, which includes a bibliography and photographs.
Walt Whitman is celebrated as an iconic American poet, but few know of the crucial and heroic role he played tending to the wounded and dying in Civil War hospitals. This nonfiction picture book highlights Whitman’s compassion and teaches an important lesson about empathy, making this a perfect social-emotional learning title for young readers.
★ Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★ Publishers Weekly, starred review
In December of 1862, Walt Whitman left Brooklyn, New York, for the war-torn South after seeing his brother's name on a list of wounded Union soldiers. What he found on the battlefields completely changed his life, as he came face to face with not only the wounded, but the dying. Whitman spent the next three years working part-time in Washington, DC, visiting and ministering to soldiers in the city’s many military hospitals. Caring for the sick and dying was not easy, but Whitman was committed to his chosen service. He became known as "the soldiers’ friend," and was bound—in his own way—to save and heal the America he wrote about and loved so deeply.
New York Times-bestselling author Gary Golio and Caldecott Honor artist E. B. Lewis bring Whitman’s story and his passion for America to life, complete with quotes from Whitman’s works, and extensive backmatter, which includes a bibliography and photographs.
Book Details
Format:
Hardcover
Price:
18.99 USD / 24.99 CAD
Published: 2024-09-17
ISBN: 9781635925876
Imprint:
Calkins Creek
Page Count: 40
Trim Size: 9-1/2 x 11
Grades:
Grades 2-5
Ages:
7-10 years
A Kirkus Best Picture Book of the Year
★ "In Golio’s thoughtful and tender presentation, Whitman is the consummate friend: 'He met their eyes with his, touched or held their hands, and read to them even if they seemed not to hear.' Lewis’ richly textured watercolor paintings of soldiers lying wounded on the battlefield and in the hospital, of city scenes and moonlit nights, together with images of the gray-bearded Whitman both in action and in contemplation, convey the heart of this beautiful story. In a time of strife in contemporary America, this emotive story centers empathy and kindness." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★ "This moving picture book biography from Golio and Lewis explores the work that poet Walt Whitman (1819–1892) took on during the U.S. Civil War...Graceful, light-filled watercolor spreads depict hazily chaotic battles, city scenes, and Whitman’s face and faraway eyes as he wrestles with the pain he encounters." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
"In 'Song of Myself,' Whitman defines the essence of his poetry: 'I am the poet of the Body and I am the poet of the Soul.' This picture-book biography covering Whitman’s experiences during the Civil War introduces readers to that “Soul” by showcasing his deeply felt compassion... Appropriately placed excerpts from his poetry, and a letter to his mother, underscore the deep connections between his words and his deeds...Lewis’s watercolor portraits of Whitman, staring at readers with his steady blue eyes, are nearly as realistic as the Mathew Brady photograph appended in the back matter. Hospital scenes are less detailed, while the battleground illustrations blunt the horrors of war, as Lewis displays a more impressionistic style. An author’s note providing more details about Whitman and a bibliography conclude this fine book." —The Horn Book
"In describing how Whitman devotedly gave aid and comfort to thousands of wounded Civil War soldiers as a volunteer nurse, Golio pays tribute to a great soul who matched deep wells of compassion with equally profound love for both his country and its people. Brief pull quotes from his poems and letters give the poet a personal voice, and his gray-bearded figure—at once approachable and charismatic—lights up Lewis’ hospital scenes." —Booklist
