Duel of the ironclads : the Monitor vs. the Virginia
(Book)

Gr. 2^-6. O'Brien, who shared his enthusiasm for ships--and his skill at painting them--in The Great Ships (2001), now captures readers with the story of the famous sea battle that brought the age of sail to an end. The U.S. Navy built the Merrimac as a sailing ship, but in 1861 partially burned and sank it rather than leave it for the Confederates, who took control of the Portsmouth, Virginia, shipyard. The rebels raised the hull of the Merrimac and rebuilt it as an ironclad vessel named the Virginia. Meanwhile, the Union navy built its own armored ship, the Monitor, which steamed into Hampton Roads and engaged the Virginia in the first combat between two ironclads. The outcome of the battle was less important than the fact that the ironclad vessels had shown wooden ships to be vulnerable, and the world's navies, obsolete. Well composed and colored by drama, the numerous watercolor and gouache paintings are an integral part of the presentation. The clearly written text and vivid illustrations work together well to explain the design and construction of the Monitor and the Virginia as well as their eventful stories. --Carolyn Phelan

Gr 4-8-The author/illustrator of The Hindenburg (Holt, 2000) and The Great Ships (Walker, 2001) spins a tale for young people of dueling military machines. The Monitor and the Virginia got a single-page treatment in The Great Ships; here O'Brien explicates the technological and political circumstances that brought these ironclads on the scene and changed the course of naval history. His succinct text should hold the attention of readers with an interest in naval history. The historical sections drag a bit, but the author cleverly switches back and forth between the political histories of these vessels and their more-fascinating technical aspects. A varying layout, offering several drawings and diagrams clearly linked to small sections of text as well as broader panoramic scenes accompanied by narrative text, allows readers to browse. Sadly, the design is cramped in places, and though obviously modeled after the layout in The Hindenburg, lacks the clarity and dramatic impact of that title. Readers not drawn to this subject matter will likely pass on this title, and those interested in follow-up material are on their own, as there's no bibliography. Still, this is a solid work for readers with a special interest.-Nina Lindsay, Oakland Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A brief history of the Civil War's first ironclad warships is presented in picture book format. The simple text and dramatic images (some with cutaway detail) show the construction of and ultimate confrontation between the Union's [cf2]Monitor[cf1] and the Confederate states' [cf2]Virginia[cf1], a.k.a. the [cf2]Merrimack[cf1]. Although neither ship won the battle, the event served as a harbinger of new naval technology. From HORN BOOK Fall 2003, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A picture-book history illustrates the beginning of a new era in naval warfare. The age of wooden warships had come to an end. The Confederacy captured the shipyards of Portsmouth, Virginia, resurrected the Merrimack, and turned it into an ironclad fighting ship, intending to destroy Union ships in Norfolk and steam up the Potomac River to bomb Washington, D.C. Northern spies knew the plans, and an arms race began. "All the navies of the world were suddenly out-of-date." Union leaders hired inventor John Ericsson to create a new fighting machine. In 100 days, the Monitor was designed and created, towed to Hampton Roads, Virginia, and led into one of the greatest naval battles of all time. On March 9, 1862, with thousands of people watching from the shore, the two ships fought to a draw, never to meet again. Confederate forces later burned the Merrimack, or Virginia to avoid having it captured by Union forces, and the Monitor sank in a storm. O'Brien's clear and lively writing, dramatic watercolor and gouache illustrations, maps, and handsome, large-format design combine to make an appealing volume. An afterword explains how marine archaeologists found the Monitor off of Cape Hatteras in 1973, and the U.S. government has made the site of the wreck a national marine sanctuary. A sure-fire winner for young Civil War buffs. (Nonfiction. 6-10) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.