The Buffalo Soldier
Grade 3-6–They promise to pay me thirteen dollars a month. More money than that I never saw at once. This poetic narrative evokes the emotion of emancipation and the courage and endurance of a newly freed man who joins the U.S. Army, protecting new settlements from Indians and bandits while earning a living, an education, and the respect of his country. He worries about family left at home and takes pride in a paycheck, finding a new life but facing loneliness in a life lived apart from loved ones. …Sally says she hopes my fingers freeze off so I can't sign up for five more years. Paired with watercolor illustrations, each spread echoes the daily life of a buffalo soldier. This brief story both informs and pulls at the heartstrings of readers as the retired man compares his experiences to those of his son fighting in World War II, while readers view the shadow of his former comrades riding past his porch rocker.–Mary Elam, Forman Elementary School, Plano, TXCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.