"One of the best ways to learn history is by studying biographies of men and women who have shaped our culture. [The Young Patriots series] is a great place to start for an historical learning adventure!"--The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
"Each book (in the Young Patriots series) allows a child (8-12) to understand that children aren't so different from one another and that they can grow up to do amazing things. This series portrays ideal role models from a child's perspective."--Bob Spears, Heartland Reviews
"Hook kids on history with the Young Patriots series!"--Learning Magazine
"This series is a must-have to teach children about America's heritage."--Wee Ones Magazine
"[The Young Patriots series] is ... an outstanding contribution to children's literature. Patria Press has successfully reintroduced America's past with this fine series for children."--The Review Zone
"Children will see the relevance of history as it affects a real child's life."--Ohiana Library Association
Look Out Eddie!
One afternoon in March 1897, six-year-old Eddie Rickenbacker went to visit his friend Big John in the blacksmith shop. He pumped the long handle of the bellows and watched sparks shoot up from the brick forge. "Slow down there, Eddie," said Big John.
"I'm not really working," said Eddie. "I just want to help you, if I can."
Big John just smiled. Skillfully he picked up a horseshoe with a pair of long tongs and held it in the fire. As soon as it was red shot, he pulled it out and put it on the point of his big iron anvil. "Stand back and watch out for the sparks," he warned.
He struck the hot horseshoe a heavy blow with his hammer. Sparks flew out in all directions, hitting his long leather apron. He pounded the horseshoe again and again, then held it up to look at it.
Big John was preparing this shoe for Duke, the milkman's horse. The milkman had asked the blacksmith to put new shoes on both front hoofs. Now Duke was hitched a short distance away in the shop. Every few minutes he stamped his foot impatiently on the floor. "Duke doesn't like to wait for his new shoes," said Eddie.
"Well, he'll just have to wait, because it takes time to shape a pair of horseshoes," said Big John.
When he finished shaping the first shoe, he inspected it again, and then plunged it into a tub of cold water. Puffs of steam rose from the tub and clouded the room. "Why do you always put a new shoe in cold water?" asked Eddie.
"One reason is to make it cool so I can handle it with my bare hands," replied Big John. "The other reasons are more difficult to explain."
Eddie now pumped the long handle of the bellows to heat the other horseshoe. Big John hammered it on his anvil and finally plunged it into the tub of water. "They're ready," he said. "Now I'll nail them on Duke's hooves."
He carried both new shoes over to the horse with Eddie following closely. He bent one of Duke's front legs backward so that he could hold the horse's hoof between his knees. Then he began to nail on the shoe.
Eddie stood off at one side and watched. "Could I make a horseshoe on your forge some day?" he asked. "Sure, but not until you are a few years older," replied Big John.
Just then Eddie's ten-year-old brother Bill appeared, looking impatient. "Come on home, you little scamp!" he cried. "Mama has sent me to get you."
Eddie wanted to stay longer, but if his mother wanted him to come home, he knew he had to go. Solemnly he said good-bye to Big John and followed Bill from the shop.
Bill led the way home across a field covered with a fine layer of snow. As Eddie trudged along, he felt the wet snow soaking through a hole in the sole of one of his shoes. He hurried to get home so he could dry out his foot.
When Bill and Eddie reached their year, they called to Nanny, a goat tied to a stake in the yard. The Rickenbackers kept Nanny and some other goats for milk. They used the goat's milk for drinking and cooking, and sold some in their neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio.
Eddie rushed up the three steps of the back porch of the small Rickenbacker home. He burst into the large kitchen, the only room on the first floor except a bedroom. Upstairs there were two bedrooms where all the older children slept.
By now it was time for supper. Inside the kitchen, Mama was cooking food on the stove and setting...
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