Rolling Thunder

by Kate Messner, Greg Ruth (Illustrator)

Overview

Lines of bikes are miles long,

shining, half a million strong.

Rumbling, grumbling, engines roar.

Peace signs. High fives. Spirits soar.

Every Memorial Day in Washington, DC, more than a million veterans and their supporters gather for the Rolling Thunder® Ride for Freedom, a demonstration that pays tribute to the men and women of the US armed forces. This lyrical story honors the bravery and sacrifice of those American heroes -- the ones who have returned home, and the ones who haven't.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545470124
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	04/25/2017
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	88,133
Product dimensions:	10.40(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kate Messner is the author of The Seventh Wish; All the Answers; The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z., winner of the E. B. White Read Aloud Award for Older Readers; Capture the Flag, an SCBWI Crystal Kite Award winner; Hide and Seek; Manhunt; and the Ranger in Time and Marty McGuire chapter book series. A former middle-school English teacher, Kate lives on Lake Champlain with her family and loves reading, walking in the woods, and traveling. Visit her online at katemessner.com.

Greg Ruth has written and drawn stories for Dark Horse Comics, DC/Vertigo Comics, Fantagraphics, and the New York Times. He is also the illustrator of Our Enduring Spirit, a picture book edition of President Barack Obama's first inaugural address, and the creator of the graphic novel The Lost Boy. Greg lives and works in western Massachusetts. Visit his website at gregthings.com.

Editorial Reviews

"Sincere, affecting pages... pay tribute to the sacrifices of veterans and their families... An emotional wringer." -- The Wall Street Journal

"A lyrical ode to our nation's fallen heroes and those who keep their memories alive." -- School Library Journal

"[A] respectful, eloquent, and moving tribute to those in the military, past and present." -- Booklist

From the Publisher

This rhyming picture book pays tribute to the Rolling Thunder Ride for Freedom each year in Washington, D.C. The narrator is a young boy who is travelling with his family to be a part of the annual demonstration, which honors veterans and those currently serving in the military. The boy and his parents ride a train to D.C. in honor of his uncle, who is stationed overseas. Once there, they meet up with his grandfather and other motorcyclists, who take rubbings from the Vietnam Memorial. Through poetry, Kate Messner presents the vision of this historical tradition as seen through new eyes. The young narrator provides snatches of observation, using concrete and sensory imagery. Although he is not old enough to fully understand the sadness and loss of his grandfather’s generation, the boy’s pride and excitement at being part of the experience make the story both meaningful for older readers and enjoyable for younger ones. Greg Ruth’s use of light and shadows add a nostalgic tint to the main character’s journey. His repetition of reflective surfaces and lack of modern technology close the age-gap between the narrator and his grandfather, reminding readers that the boy may one day grow into the older man’s role. Highly recommended for military and patriotic families. Reviewer: Melanie Glotfelty; Ages 4 to 8.

Children's Literature - Melanie Glotfelty

05/01/2017
K-Gr 3—A tribute to the phenomenon that is the Rolling Thunder Ride for Freedom, which takes place in Washington, DC, every Memorial Day weekend. In rhyming text, a young boy describes his journey to the capital to meet his grandfather, who rides his motorcycle to honor two friends who died in Vietnam. The child brings a photo of his pilot uncle, lost in another war. After the narrator's train trip, he joins the cyclists' encampment for memory sharing and a meal. The next morning, he rides in Grandpa's sidecar in the miles-long rows of motorcycles parading past the Lincoln Memorial. "Lines of bikes are miles long,/shining, half a million strong./Rumbling, grumbling, engines roar./Peace signs. High fives. Spirits soar." Ruth's background in comics illustration is evident in his skillful use of palette to reflect mood. The realistic paintings rely on warm yellows and reds to depict the boy's home; olive fatigues and the purple-lit monument are featured during more solemn moments. VERDICT A lyrical ode to our nation's fallen heroes and those who keep their memories alive, suitable for one-on-one and small group sharing. A good choice for most collections.—Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA

School Library Journal

2017-03-06
A tribute to the massive annual motorcycle rally in Washington, D.C., that honors our country's veterans.Fittingly for an event that is all about remembering, Ruth's illustrations depict hazy, often translucent figures riding through misty golden light past the towering statue of Abraham Lincoln to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. A white child narrates in terse rhyme: "Grandpa rides for Joe and Tom, / friends he lost in Vietnam." Traveling to rendezvous with Grandpa by train, the narrator adds, "our trip is for Uncle Zach, / flying airplanes far away. / His picture rides with me today." Dressed in camo and riding in the grizzled grandfather's sidecar, the child reaches the wall, where they "Leave a single flower. Kneel. / Names in charcoal. Cry. And heal." Then at day's end it's time to ride again, with "Whispered wishes. Come home soon." Only a quick mention of "POWs, MIAs" acknowledges that they are the event's chief focus (or at least the focus of its organizers). More troublingly, in the art almost all of the visible faces, both of riders and in the background crowds, are white. A deeply felt if sketchy companion for Eve Bunting's The Wall, illustrated by Ronald Himler (1990), or the plethora of introductions to the Memorial Day holiday. (afterword) (Picture book. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews