Reading is one of the best ways to have a child spend a lazy (and hot) summer afternoon. Its also an excellent way to introduce a child to history and to the background of what Daddy (or Mommy) is doing as part of the "alien carboard cult" they seem to belong to. (Jim Werbaneth will never be allowed to forget that line!) The other advantage is that reading forces a child to think -- he has to fill in the blanks and become an active participant in the process. Television (or movies) do all the imaginative and thought work for a child -- no wonder a recent study showed that a child's metabolic rate while watching television is lower than a resting state. You don't need to be wealthy to gather up a good collection of children's books to read. That's what a library is for. On a recent trip, I checked out a few children's fiction books. CECIL'S STORY by George Ella Lyon (1991, Orchard Books) was written for the younger reader. There are just a few words on each page in nice large print and the illustrations are impressive. However, the story did not rate very high with my 4 1/2 year old and I personally thought it was morbid. As the frontspiece says "Think of it - your father is a soldier, in the Civil War...And then, one day, Mama goes away, far away to seek Papa. You must stay with neighbors, waiting for word, waiting for sight of Papa and Mama climbing the hill toward home. But what if Papa is hurt in the fighting, hurt bad? What if Papa doesn't come home at all?" After reading it twice I still don't know what this book was trying to achieve. If it was an antiwar messgae it was poorly presented. In desperation I gave it to my 11 year old, Karl., for review. He returned it after completing it. "What did you think? " I asked. "Strange." he answered. I think its best to pass this one up one and let it stay on the shelf to collect dust. It might be a worthwhile challenge for a cryptoanalyst. The second book I picked up was A BOY WITH A PACK by Stephen W Meader (1939, Harcourt, Brace and World). This book appeared in the card catalogue under the heading Civil War, History -- Fiction. A well written, easy reading book for the older child (7th grade and up) the story centers around Bill Crawford , a 17 year old in Nineteenth Century New Hampshire. Bill has no desire to spend the rest of his days in the mill town he grew up in. To escape he buys himself a Peddler's Trunk, full of ladies' "gewgaws". The trunk is his ticket to the whole wide world and his adventures as an itinerant peddler are the cornerstone to the book. The only connection ths book seems to have to the Civil War is that it touches, briefly, on the Underground Railroad. Not quite Civil War in my book, but a nice insight into the life of a Yankee Peddler. The final selection was The Vicksburg Veteran by F.N. Monjo (1971, Simon & Schuster). This is definitely a children's history book. While the reading level is set at 2nd and 3rd Grades, all ages would enjoy this story. The story, written in diary form, is about Frederick Dent Grant, the son of Union Commander, Ulysess S. Grant. Young Frederick was 12 years old when he went along with his father on his campaign against the Confederacy's fortress city of Vicksburg along the Mississippi River. The book is well-illustrated with numerous ink drawings by Douglas Gorsline. These portray the uniforms, civilian dress and scenery of the Vicksburg Campaign. Monjo's text provides an excellent insight into this crucial campaign. A good balance is struck between the "glory" of war and its horror. Monjo does not make war seem like a sterile, bloodless event, nor does he dwell overmuch on the horrible reality of it. The young man in the story also provides an insight into the Union commander from a point of view that we rarely see great men -- from the level of relatives. This is definitely a must read for anyone who wants an introduction to Vicksburg, the Civil War or US Grant. Some other, equally exciting books by Monjo include Indian Summer, The Drinking Gourd, and Poor Richard in France. The latter, as the title suggests, details the activities of America's first (and some say best) diplomat -- Benjamin Franklin. All of them are as well written and as well documented as The Vicksburg Veteran. The last group of books I want to mention are only for the brave of heart. Anyone who has children is well aware that they love riddles, puns and, well, silly jokes. How else to explain the ongoing popularity of Shari Lewis, elephant and knock-knock jokes? Now a child telling a joke or a riddle is a parent's delight. The problem is that the kids don't know when to stop. (I'm not always sure their parents do either.) So if you're game (or want to onflict countless hours of harmless, but groan producing torment on a brother, sister or friend with children) try the books of David A. Adler -- Remember Betsy Floss and Other Colonial American Riddles and Wild Phil Hickok and other Old West Riddles . If those aren't enough there's always, The Star Spangled Banana and other Revolutionary Riddles compiled by Charles Keller and Richard Baker. As the titles suggest you'll need to turn up your groan meter. But remember this -- the kids will have fun and learn some history at the same time. Next time we'll cover some possible Christmas gifts for the wargamer, his widow and the rest of the family! Don't forget to send in your ideas as well! Back to Cry Havoc #3 Table of Contents Back to Cry Havoc List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1993 by David W. Tschanz. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. 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