Myers, Walter Dean. Patrol; an American soldier in Vietnam.

MYERS, Walter Dean. Patrol; an American soldier in Vietnam. Collages by Ann Grifalconi. HarperTrophy. illus, c2002. 0-06073159-1. $6.99. JSA 

A frightened young soldier is with his squad in a lush, green forest where nervous birds twitter and insects and small animals scurry for cover away from a coming firefight. "I am so afraid" admits the soldier, whose "thousand eyes look for death in the waving bamboo fields" they reach. A village, "the enemy," reveals sorrowful old people and crying babies. Then the soldier sees a young soldier of the opposite side in the elephant grass, and they stare at each other in surprise. "In a heartbeat, we have learned too much about each other," the American acknowledges to himself. That night, the tired soldier writes a letter to a loved one, and he wonders if the Vietnamese soldier he saw escaping through the tall grass is doing the same.

The publisher suggests an age range of 8 to 12 for this thin, unpaged book of poetry and pictures, but it should receive wider attention and find a place on many bookshelves, for reluctant older readers, even for adults beginning English language acquisition. The detail-filled collages meld well with this poetic story of some sensitive people caught in a conflict not of their own making. Maureen Griffin, Researcher, Everett, MA

J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers.

S--Recommended for senior high school students.

A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries.