Navajo Code Talkers

August 1, 2004
Gr 4-6-According to Marine Major Howard Connor, "Were it not for the Navajo, the Marines would have never taken Iwo Jima." During that battle, "six code talkers worked day and night to send more than 800 messages. They made not a single mistake." The code, based on the Navajo language, was so successful that the enemy never broke it. Consequently, the army did not want to reveal its existence, and it was not until 1969 that the Navajo contribution began to be acknowledged; Presidents Reagan, Clinton, and Bush have honored these men with a holiday, an act of Congress, and Congressional gold medals in retrospect. Their story is told with brevity and directness and illustrated with archival war photos, a sample of the code, and other documents and maps. This is a high-interest topic and a good first source that will certainly spark imaginations. Nathan Aaseng's Navajo Code Takers (Walker, 1992) and Deanne Durrett's Unsung Heroes of World War II: The Story of the Navajo Code Talkers (Facts On File, 1998) are for older readers but could be used in conjunction with this title.-Dona Ratterree, New York City Public Schools

Copyright 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2004
Reviewed with Michael Burgan's " The Titanic" .

Gr. 3-6. Although many of the titles in the extensive We the People series deal with our country's revolutionary beginnings, these two cover more recent U.S. history. " Titanic " capitalizes on the famous tragedy's morbid allure, covering everything from the "unsinkable" behemoth's construction to the discovery of its remains on the ocean floor in 1985. While sure to attract many readers, " Titanic " stands to fill a much less conspicuous gap in collections than " Navajo Code Talkers" ; " " few children will have heard about the Marines' secret recruitment of Navajos during World War II to develop and implement a code based on their native language. Cryptographically inclined kids will particularly appreciate the chart listing code words for the letters of the alphabet and cleverly improvised military terms, such as " chicken hawk " for dive bomber and " eggs" for bombs. Both treatments are smoothly written, concise enough for reluctant readers, and abundantly illustrated with well-chosen archival photos. Though the glossaries are unaccountably brief, other concluding resources should prove more useful, especially the prescreened Web sites accessible online--including one featuring recordings of Navajo code words. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)