Review: Great World War II Projects You Can Build Yourself

Great World War II Projects You Can Build Yourself by Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt (Nomad Press, 2006).

There’s been a lot of feel-good nostalgia about the Second World War in the media. This book, however, isn’t just another “wasn’t that a great war?” entry into the general collection. Great World War II Projects You Can Build Yourself is an introduction to the World War II era that includes the good, the bad, and the really, really ugly, from daily sacrifices in support of the troops, to blatant raw racism seen in everyday art and propaganda.

No doubt that World War II was a defining period in the world’s history, a period that brought the United States forward as a leading world power. Yet the uncertainty of the era and the underlying fear that infused daily life is present in this series of hands-on history lessons.

An introductory chapter gives a brief history of the war itself, from conditions in Germany that led to Hitler’s rise to power, through Japan’s raid on Pearl Harbor that drew the U.S. into the war, and finally Hitler’s demise in a bunker in Berlin. Included are the persecution of Jews and other groups in Germany, and the internment of Japanese-Americans in the U.S. This sets the context for the chapters that follow.

The rest of the book focuses on life on the home front, where civillans were encouraged to “use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.” Food rationing became a way of life. People grew food in backyard victory gardens, and recipe books instructing homemakers on cooking without rationed foods, such as sugar and butter, appeared on shelves in every kitchen. Readers can try out a sugarless cake sweetened with honey and raisins instead of sugar, and grow a miniature victory garden.

Fear was also a theme on the homefront. Readers learn about propaganda, used both to raise morale and to direct anger and hatred against the enemy. Projects include building a model bomb shelter, models planes (which were used to train aircraft spotters), and victory banners. But just as kids avidly learned how to send coded messages from radio programs or Scouts, dreaming of one day intercept a secret message and catch a spy, readers can learn how to send secret messages, use codes, and learn some words used by Navajo code talkers

All projects in the book use common household items or items that can be easily found at a craft store. Elementary and middle school teachers as well as homeschoolers will find this book valuable for integrating history, art, and language arts in a World War II unit. Young readers interested in history and crafts will find plenty in this book to keep them busy during their leisure hours — just as their World War II era counterparts kept busy with homemade entertainments and crafts.