# Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - Hardcover

by **Jeff Gottesfeld** (Author), **Matt Tavares** (Illustrator)

**With every step, the Tomb Guards pay homage to America's fallen. Discover their story, and that of the unknown soldiers they honor, through resonant words and illustrations.**

Keeping vigil at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, in Arlington National Cemetery, are the sentinel guards, whose every step, every turn, honors and remembers America's fallen. They protect fellow soldiers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice, making sure they are never alone. To stand there--with absolute precision, in every type of weather, at every moment of the day, one in a line uninterrupted since midnight July 2, 1937--is the ultimate privilege and the most difficult post to earn in the army. Everything these men and women do is in service to the Unknowns. Their standard is perfection.

Exactly how the unnamed men came to be entombed at Arlington, and exactly how their fellow soldiers have come to keep vigil over them, is a sobering and powerful tale, told by Jeff Gottesfeld and luminously illustrated by Matt Tavares--a tale that honors the soldiers who honor the fallen.

### Author Biography

**Jeff Gottesfeld** is an acclaimed writer whose work has won awards from the American Library Association, the Writers Guild of America, and the National Council for the Social Studies. He has previously written for adult, teen, middle-grade, and picture book audiences. Jeff Gottesfeld is based in Los Angeles.

**Matt Tavares** is the author-illustrator of _Crossing Niagara_, _Henry Aaron's Dream_, _There Goes Ted Williams_, _Becoming Babe Ruth_, and _Growing Up Pedro_, as well as _Zachary's Ball_, _Oliver's Game_, and _Mudball_. He is the illustrator of _'Twas the Night Before Christmas_, _Over the River and Through the Wood_, _Lady Liberty_ by Doreen Rappaport, _The Gingerbread Pirates_ by Kristin Kladstrup, and _Jubilee!_ by Alicia Potter. He is also the creator of the modern Christmas tales _Red and Lulu_ and the _New York Times_ bestseller _Dasher_. Matt Tavares lives in Ogunquit, Maine.

**Number of Pages:** 32

**Dimensions:** 0.5 x 11.9 x 10 IN

**Illustrated:** Yes

**Publication Date:** February 12, 2021

**Accelerated Reader:**

**Quiz Name:** Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

**Interest Level:** Middle Grades, 4-8

**Reading Level:** 3.8

**Point Value:** 0.5

## Details

- **Price:** 18.99 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 18.99 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - Hardcover

---

> Source: [Smart supply deals](https://smartsupplydeals.com/products/twenty-one-steps-guarding-the-tomb-of-the-unknown-soldier-hardcover)
> Updated: 2026-07-23