Remembering, Honoring, and Thinking: “The Wall” by Eve Bunting

Several years ago, this book was the “Book of the Month” that was shared with all of the students at our Elementary School. Each month, there would be a particular “character trait” focused upon, and a book was shared with the students, which featured that trait “in action.”

I’ve been wanting to share this video with you for a long time. It is a video performance/narration of the book, which was written by Eve Bunting, and illustrated by Richard Himler. Unique to this video performance was the addition of historical video footage, interspersed throughout the book, giving an overview of the War in Vietnam.

The Children’s Book “The Wall” tells of a young boy and his father, who have traveled to Washington, DC to see the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. They have come to find the name of the boy’s grandfather, his dad’s father. As the father and son look for the grandfather’s name, they meet others who are visiting the memorial. They see flowers, letters, flags, and personal keepsakes that have been left at the wall. Finally, they find the name they are looking for.

Eve Bunting was born December 19, 1928, in Northern Ireland. She, her husband, and children immigrated to the United States in 1958. Eve Bunting has written more than 250 books, from novels to picture books, covering a wide array of subjects, both fiction and non-fiction. She has a rare gift for writing about serious, important subjects in a way that even young children can understand.

Indeed, Eve Bunting’s work has the ability to touch hearts of all ages.

I had wanted to share this, and wanted to wait, until a time came when we, as a nation, are not currently engaged in a war. I don’t know if such a time will come. I do know that there is never a day which dawns over our Free Country, in which we should not take the time to honor those who have served our nation, given their lives for our nation, and are serving this nation … right now.
Every day we should “Remember, Honor … and, Think.”

Here’s a link to a current list of all of Eve Bunting’s books, from the FantasticFiction Website:

Please enjoy the video presentation of the book “The Wall,” written by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Richard Himler: