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Children's Literature
Usually, people who risk their lives for their county are honored. However, this has not been true for the Navajo Code Talkers. This group of Native Americans was indispensable to the United States during World War II. Without them, the war in the South Pacific would have been lost. The Navajo culture was at risk of dying out. Navajo schools, run by the government, were not even allowed to teach the Navajo language. During the war, however, it was this language that saved many US soldiers. Navajo Marines used the English alphabet and Navajo words to construct an indecipherable code. This allowed American troops to pass messages without fear of interception. This book in the "We the People" series examines this little known group. This book is easy to read and visually interesting. The text has a good balance of simple language and complex ideas. It is illustrated with historical photographs and graphs explaining the code. While the glossary is very small, the other reference tools are very informative. It even has a web site that will help with additional research. This is an excellent book, especially for struggling readers. 2004, Compass Point Books, Ages 8 to 11.—Heather Robertson