Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Written by Jeff
Gottesfeld, illustrated by Matt
Tavares
*Starred
review
in
Kirkus
*Starred
review
in
The
Horn
Book
*Starred
review
in
Shelf
Awareness
An ALA Notable Book
Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2021
School Library Journal Best Books of 2021
Wall Street Journal Best Books of 2021
2021 Audrey Geisel Friend Of Military
Children Award
A Junior Library Guild selection
Maryland Black-eyed Susan Book Award list
Colonial Dames of America 2022 Young Readers
Award
The
Society of
Illustrators, "The
Original Art 2021" exhibit
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With every step, the Tomb Guards pay homage to
America's fallen. Discover their story, and that of
the unknown soldiers they honor, through resonant
words and illustrations.
Keeping vigil at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, in
Arlington National Cemetery, are the sentinel guards,
whose every step, every turn, honors and remembers
America's fallen. They protect fellow soldiers who
have paid the ultimate sacrifice, making sure they are
never alone. To stand there- with absolute precision,
in every type of weather, at every moment of the day,
one in a line uninterrupted since midnight July 2,
1937- is the ultimate privilege and the most difficult
post to earn in the army. Everything these men and
women do is in service to the Unknowns. Their standard
is perfection.
Exactly how the unnamed men came to be entombed at
Arlington, and exactly how their fellow soldiers have
come to keep vigil over them, is a sobering and
powerful tale, told by Jeff Gottesfeld and luminously
illustrated by Matt Tavares- a tale that honors the
soldiers who honor the fallen.
Reviews:
"Tavares' magisterial art soars, awash in opposing
forces: shadowed but luminous, soaked in both
melancholy and reverence. The fallen who have died
nameless deserve the very best. This is it. Impeccably
honors its subject.
*Kirkus Reviews (starred
review)
"Gottesfield's poetic text is in the voice of the
first Unknown Soldier, borne by a horse-drawn wagon to
Arlington in 1921 and, after a twenty-one-gun salute,
laid to rest on the eleventh day of the eleventh
month, at the eleventh hour (the time the WWI
armistice was signed in 1918)...Published to coincide
with the hundredth anniversary of the establishment of
the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, this book is a
gorgeous and reverent tribute both to veterans and to
the Tomb Guards."
*The Horn Book (starred
review)
"In this stunning, solemn and reverent picture book,
Jeff Gottesfeld (No Steps Behind) and Matt
Tavares (A Ben of All Trades) collaborate both
to educate readers and honor those sentinels who
proudly walk the mat day and night, good weather or
foul, ensuring the Unknown Soldier is never alone. . .
. Gottesfeld's text is a heartfelt thank-you letter
delivered from one soldier to another. . . . A perfect
introduction for young readers to a significant part
of United States history, Twenty-One Steps is a
serene education about and commendation of the
exceptional men and women who proudly protect this
symbol of U.S. freedom--and the high cost the nation
pays for that freedom. A beautiful reminder and a
fitting tribute."
*Shelf Awareness (starred
review)
"This work of
sobering beauty begins up close: 'I am an Unknown. I am
one of many,' we read, seeing the portrait of a young
man in a wooden frame. . . Patriotic and deeply moving,
this picture book for children ages 7-10 will be hard
for parents to read aloud without tears, but that is no
reason not to try."
-The Wall Street Journal
"Sentinels keep watch over the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery with precision
and perfection, during all hours of the day and in any
weather condition. Gottesfeld captures their deliberate
dress, clicking heels, 21 steps, and 21 seconds of
silence that show honor to the 'nameless and faceless'
victims of war. . . . Masterfully illustrated by Matt
Tavares, this sobering story is written from the
perspective of the unknown soldier."
-World Magazine
"[Gottesfeld's] book, while directed at children,
touches a universal chord in these days when America
seems so divided. In the end, perhaps that may be this
book's greatest gift.
-The Record
"A powerful picture book that brings the mystique of the
role the sentinels have at the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier to a child's level, helping them understand the
meaning of service and sacrifice to others."
-Gavin
McIlvenna, president of
the Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier
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