Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood (Family Comic Friday)

 

  Folks, I promise, this is the last Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales that I will be reviewing for a while. But I saved the best for last! Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood recounts the very complicated history of World War I.

   I have to say, it took a history major in college like myself having to read a child's graphic novel to finally understand what was behind the Great War! And I am not the only one who doesn't know why it started. (Why even Rachel and Pheobe on FRIENDS once agreed that Mexico were the baddies in the War to End All Wars!)

    Yes, everyone to some degree can say that the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria was the lynchpin that set the whole thing off. But why was that guy's death was so gosh darn important to start the biggest war in world history up that that point? Author Nathan Hale and his cartoon counterpart, the American patriot Nathan Hale cleared that up for me and what a way did he do it!

   In a visual medium like a graphic novel, it's nearly impossible to draft such a story for young readers to be able to understand. Some battles of World War I had armies from dozens of nations fighting at the same time, wearing the same looking uniforms. In able to help the reader keep these nation's straight, Hale adopted the use of an animal for each party. For example, the British were represented by bulldogs while the Germans were falcons or hawks, a national symbol for both. It was pretty clever and I applaud Hale for doing it.

   Even though Hale used funny animals to tell this tale, he didn't make light of the situation. In fact, he even goes so far as to have the narrator of the story point out that this is such a serious and important moment in world history, that it wouldn't be prudent to use such devices. But, the often confused Executioner character in this series points out the importance in keeping each army noticeable with using a symbol of national pride to keep each party from being confused with another. It's a rather brilliant idea.

    I love this series. I learn so very much and I am rather thoroughly entertaining by this series. Getting to read 3 books in this series in a row has been a fun little binge read. But I too, like the Executioner character must be reminded that the events in these books are about serious, oft too tragic events. But there's nothing wrong with making learning fun again.

    I've been taking an online class on teaching methods and this week we've been learning about critical thinking and ways to incorporate elements that with allow a student to be able to expand their thought processes. This book, though a little cartoony and a tiny bit silly, is an excellent tool that will help readers of all ages think about the major players of the first world war, why it started, and the horrors of war itself. In the back of each of the book is a list of suggested further reads (that are also age appropriate!) If your child has any interest in further learning about any of the subjects in covered in the Hazardous Tales, be sure to check those other books out!

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.