YA large format book with crucial pictures, maps, and diagrams. Excellent work! Glossary and Index. ( )

World War II is a complex topic to discuss. This book presents many pictures and dense information panels about the various aspects of the war and important figures. The on-set of World War II was the redrawing of borders and the Treaty of Versailles that put a large financial obligation in terms of war reparations on Germany. The rise of Adolf Hitler solidified the fact that Germans believed that they were betrayed. Hitler became the sole leader of Germany in 1933. He quickly broke the agreements set forth in the Versailles Treaty with little resistance. The bombings that took place in Poland became the official starting point for World War II. Slowly, with force and massive amounts of warfare, Hitler laid claim to a large part of Europe. On the other side of the world, Japan annexed many countries. Japan needed more resources but by 1944, morale was low. The fire raids along with the atomic bombs, drove Japan out of the war. D-Day was an attempt to free Western Europe from Nazi rule. With the success of D-Day and the advance of the Soviet Army, Germany began to retreat. In 1945, the Germans were defeated and the Atomic bomb was dropped on Japan. The war created two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union.

This book presents a lot of facts and pictures. The major drawback to this book is that it sometimes has to much complex information. Students who read this may need some help with words. There is a small glossary in the back of the book. This is a reference picture book. The thematic organization of this book is helpful but the book omits the importance of the attacks on Pearl Harbor. This limits the overall historical integrity of this book. Even with these issues, this book is still important and relevant for children. ( )

I liked this book but I wish it had more detail to explain the battles and tactics ( )