Book review: Custer's Last Battle

My Thoughts:

While I think this will be a favorite book in few years for my son, we are not the current target audience for this book. Amazon has this book listed for 4-8 years and while my son is just a month shy of being 4 there was too much text on each page to keep his interest long enough and some of the ideas are unfamiliar to him. Give him a few more years and I think he will be more familiar with topics and ideas in the book and have a better understanding and have the attention span to listen to a book as long. And while I do have a 7 year old daughter, she was not as interested in the story as I think my son will be at the same age. I think the book would be more appropriate for ages 8-10 and would be a great addition to any school or public library.

The illustrations are wonderful and in a style I would expect for the story. I also love the feel of the book. I reviewed a hardcover copy of the book and they took great care to ensure that they had produced a high quality book from the outside paper cover to the hard cover, the binding and the very nice quality thick pages. I like a book that feels good in my hands, it adds to the quality of the reading experience, in my opinion.

About the Book and Author:


On the morning of June 25, 1876, a force of 700 men from the 7th US Cavalry led by General George Armstrong Custer attacked an Indian encampment on the banks of the Little Big Horn River. Unbeknownst to Custer, he faced the combined might of the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes, led by many great chiefs such as Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. Advised by his Indian scouts not to attack, the foolhardy general ignored their warnings and trusted to “Custer’s luck.”

In this commemorative edition of his first published book, Goble recounts the tale of Custer’s last battle through the eyes of Red Hawk, a fictional young Lakota warrior. Presented in the shorter format that Goble originally intended, and combined with a new author’s introduction and a foreword by Joe Medicine Crow, the Crow tribal historian whose grandfather was one of Custer’s own scouts, readers will marvel at this tale of honor and bravery.

Paul Goble is an award-winning author and illustrator of over 40 children’s books. His book, The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses, won the prestigious Caldecott Medal. His most recent books are the award-winning “stories from the tipi” series, which includes The Man Who Dreamed of Elk-Dogs, The Boy and His Mud Horses, and The Woman Who Lived with Wolves.

Paul Goble lives with his wife in Rapid City, South Dakota.

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