“Tucky Jo and Little Heart” by Patricia Polacco
Simon & Shuster Books for Children, New York, 2015, 32 pages. Grades 3-5.
War creates many victims. These terrible conflicts tell us who we really are, not just what we would like to be.
After the Pearl Harbor attack, the United States entered World War II. Millions of men and women served in the armed forces and millions of others worked in war industries. The war in the Pacific was particularly brutal due to the hot climate and the prevalence of tropical diseases. Battles were often fought to the last man as the soldiers of the Imperial Army of Japan seldom surrendered. This led to battle-hardened American soldiers. Yet in the midst of all this destruction, acts of great courage and sacrifice were to be found.
Famed author/illustrator, Patricia Polacco tells of a series of heroic acts in an embattled Filipino village. The name of this beautifully moving story is “Tucky Jo and Little Heart.”
Johnnie Wallen was born in rural Kentucky in 1924. Growing up, he learns to hunt and fish and becomes a crack shot. After the Pearl Harbor attack, Johnnie enthusiastically tries to join the Army. He lies to the recruiter about his age as he is too young. Be careful what you ask for. Inducted, he soon finds himself in combat and learns the horror of war.
In campaign after campaign, he is wounded, afflicted with illness and bitten by vicious bugs on the Pacific islands. When the invasion of the Philippines occurs, Johnnie’s unit is in constant combat. He is an excellent marksman and is nicknamed “the Kid,” or “Kentucky Jo.”
On one dangerous mission he is crawling through the jungle and spies a village where the women are washing clothes in the stream. He senses someone behind him and turns around. There, standing in the jungle, is a beautiful little girl with ragged clothes and haunted eyes. The little girl has been so traumatized by the war that she cannot speak. She can’t even say her own name so Johnnie calls her “Little Heart” because of a heart-shaped birthmark on her arm. When he introduces himself as Kentucky Jo, Little Heart can only manage “Tucky Jo.”
When Johnnie goes into the village, he finds the people starving. With the little girl next to him, Kentucky Jo makes friends. He solves the food shortage in the village by getting some dynamite and throwing it into the river. After the explosion, all kinds of fish rise to the surface. The women are ecstatic and collect large numbers of fish.
After a happy period, a Japanese attack on the village is planned. The American artillery commanders respond by ordering a full-scale barrage on the village as the Japanese begin their assault. Johnnie is ordered to retreat, but begs his sergeant to allow him to save Little Heart and the villagers. Returning to the doomed village, Johnnie frantically leads all the villagers to the waiting American trucks while clutching the terrified Little Heart.
Weeping, Johnnie tears Little Heart’s arms from his neck and gives her to her grandfather in the back of the truck. But Johnnie must stay and defend the position. As the trucks flee the battle, Little Heart screams “Tucky Jo.” Johnnie’s unit survives the battle and is then sent to the next engagement. He never sees Little Heart again during World War II and for the rest of his life thinks of her.
What happens? Do Little Heart and Tucky Jo ever meet again? What allows a very ordinary Kentucky boy to become such a hero? What generous thanks does Little Heart so freely give him? To find out the answers to these and other questions, go to the library and check out this magnificent story, “Tucky Jo and Little Heart” by Patricia Polacco.
I thought this was one of the most moving books I have ever read. Johnnie acts with genuine Christian charity and bravery throughout the story. Little Heart will return that love. I hope you get a chance to read this marvelous story with your family. It is a powerful story of love and courage.
