To the Front! Clara Barton Braves the Battle of Antietam

Written by Claudia Friddell
Illustrated by Christopher Cyr

Grade:

2-6

ISBN-13:

978-1635923223

Publisher:

Calkins Creek (2022)

This riveting, new picture book fills a great void, bringing Clara Barton's nursing work to life in a new way. The Civil War's Battle of Antietam was America's bloodiest day. But there in the fray was newly commissioned Clara Barton and her male nursing team, whose work with the injured, wounded, and dying, earned Clara the nickname "Angel of the Battlefield." Barton was among the first women ever to be allowed on the battlefield, and the grit and danger are well described here. Simple poetic text and the book's powerful illustrations (contrasts of light, dark, and hope in the darkness) bring to life the courage and compassion needed to brave the frontlines of battle. Excerpts from Clara's own letters are the most powerful sections. Second to sixth graders will gain new understanding of the Civil War and the efforts that eventually led to the formation of the American Red Cross. An especially strong section of back matter fills in her biography for older students.