On the 6th August 1945 the first of two atomic bombs were dropped on Japan. The first was on Hiroshima and led to the death of an estimated 140,000 people. A second was dropped on Nagasaki on the 9th August that is estimated to have killed 80,000 people. However, it is difficult to estimate numbers as people are still dying from the effects of the two explosions. Debates rage still about the justification for the bombing and its use to end WWII. Irrespective of our views on this, today at the very least, we should consider the impact of such weapons and their potential to do even more catastrophic things given their even greater power today.
To mark this anniversary I would suggest the following four books are worth sharing with children aged 6-11. The first is a picture book that tells the story of Junko Morimoto who stayed home from school on the 6th August 1945 and lived, while many friends died. The second is a picture book by Toshi Maruki that recounts a story that a woman told her when she visited an exhibition of Maruki's atomic bomb paintings. The third is a short novel for younger readers that tells the story of a nine year-old girl who died just seven years after the explosion from Leukaemia as a consequence of the bombing. The fourth tells the story of how Aboriginal Australians living in remote parts of Australia died as a result of atomic testing in the 1950s. I share this because it shows that in spite of the catastrophic impact of the atomic bombs on Japan, efforts were still occurring to develop weapons of this kind by Britain with the support of Australia. All offer opportunities to reflect on these powerful stories and the challenge of achieving peace.
This is the true story of how one little girl
survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6th 1945. Junko
Morimoto narrates the story of her family, her early life and memory of
life in Japan during the second World War, and the day she was hit by a
“thunderous flash and an explosion of sound” and the miracle of her
survival. This moving simple retelling of that day in word, family
photographic record and illustration, uses the place and her experience to recall an event that changed her life and that of
the world.
Toshi Maruki (1912-2000)
was born in
Hokkaido and studied Western art. In 1950 she began painting significant
works about the impact of atomic weapons. With her husband and fellow artist Iri Maruki
they produced the 'Hiroshima Panels'. Later paintings also focussed on
wartime atrocities such as Auschwitz, the Nanking
Massacre, and also environmental disasters. The Marukis received a
nomination for the Nobel
Peace Prize as a result of their pacifist work. Toshi produced many
children's books with vivid and colourful illustrations.
The
story was motivated by a woman who entered an exhibition of her atomic
bomb paintings in Hokkaido one day and seized the microphone to tell her
emotional story of the day the bomb dropped on her home town of
Hiroshima. The book is based largely on this woman's story. The story
tells of the heartbreaking experience of seven-year-old Mii and her
parents that began at 8:15 a.m. on the 6th August 1945, when the atomic
bomb "Little
Boy" was dropped on their city.
This amazing and moving book is based on the true story of an 11-year-old Japanese girl
diagnosed with leukaemia as a consequence of the bombing of Hiroshima.
Sadako Sasaki was just 2 when the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. For a number of years she is a normal child and the star of the school running team. But one day there are dizzy spells and eventually, a telling diagnosis. This true story tells how a little girl faces her future bravely by drawing on the encouragement of a Japanese legend. The legend suggests that if a sick person folds one thousand cranes, the gods
will grant her wish and make her healthy again. This is a story of extraordinary courage that made one young woman a heroine in Japan
4. 'Maralinga: The Anangu Story' written and illustrated by the Yalata and Oak communities with Christobel Mattingley
This is the story of the British
atomic testing of the 1950s in Central Australia. It is told and illustrated by
Indigenous Australians who are the traditional owners of Maralinga that was used for the testing. In words and
pictures the community members, describe what happened in the Maralinga
Tjarutja lands of South Australia before the bombs and after. This is
an important and tragic account of human folly and its consequence for
a people who were there first, but whose needs counted for little.
The book was an outcome of the collaboration of well-known Australian author Christobel Mattingley's collaboration with these two remote Aboriginal communities in South Australia.
1. 'I Was Only Nineteen' by John Schumann and illustrated by Craig Smith (Allen & Unwin)
John Schumann wrote an unforgettable song 'I Was Only 19' in 1983 with the band Redgum. It had the memorable refrain 'God help me, I was only 19'. The lyrics
of this well-known Australian song have been brought to life in a
children's picture book illustrated by the widely acclaimed Australian
illustrator Craig Smith.
The lyrics are used exactly as in the song and with Craig Smith's
wonderful water colour and line drawings are a moving reminder of the
Vietnam War. This was a war that was fought in different ways to the
previous great wars and had less universal support than previous
conflicts in which Australia and other nations had fought. This was a
war that for many didn't seem 'quite real', and our servicemen still
carry the physical and mental scars. The book is a moving insight into a
war fought by young men who knew little about the country in which they
fought and why they were there. It would be an ideal book to share with
children aged 6-12 years as we approach ANZAC Day in Australia on April 25th.
Every
Australian and English child who grew up in the 1950s to 70s in
Australia would know of the story of Simpson and the donkey he used to
retrieve wounded men on the WWI battlefields of the Gallipoli Peninsula
in Turkey. This was one of the greatest of all defeats for the forces of
Britain, France and of course the Australian and New Zealand armed
forces (the ANZACs). In the
midst of the massacre of thousands of allied troops and the eight-month
siege of this isolated beachhead, a man and his donkey were responsible
for saving many lives, before Simpson was eventually killed on yet
another mission.
Mark Greenwood offers a moving story
of John Simpson Kirkpatrick and how he and his donkey, Duffy, rescued
over 300 men during the campaign at Gallipoli. It traces his life from
his home in South Shields in Newcastle (England) and his journey from
the Tyne Dock to Turkey. Informed by detailed research, the text
includes a brief biography of the man, details of his work at Gallipoli
and also the little known story of how one of the many he rescued was
actually a childhood friend.
A poignant picture book about Henri, about France, about Billy and about
Australia. It is based on the true story of how strong bonds are
developed in the face of adversity.
Sally Murphy
wrote the first draft of this special story on ANZAC Day, 2008, while
her son was there in Villers-Bretonneux the place where Australian
troops fought to save a French town in a foreign war. It took hr four
years to complete, and the time spent on this special book shows.
'My
Grandad Marches on Anzac Day' was written by Catriona based on her
children's grandfather who fought with the British army in World War
II. It tells the story of one family's involvement in this day, but at
the same time it is a similar story to that of many families who wake up
early on the 25th April each year to remember the fallen of war and to
celebrate the mateship of those who survive.
This book
is an ideal way to help very young children learn something about Anzac
Day. It is a simple, thoughtful and touching tale told through the eyes
of a little girl. It explains what happens on the day and its
significance for a young child.
I sit on Daddy’s shoulders.
It’s a very long wait.
But my grandad will come.
My grandad marches on Anzac Day.
Teaching activities and notes for this books are available for teachers and parents HERE
5. 'Anzac Ted' by Belinda Landsberry (Exisle Publishing)
'Anzac Ted's a scary bear
and I can tell you why.
He's missing bits, his tummy splits,
he only has one eye'
That's
how this beautifully illustrated book begins. A battered old teddy,
that never wins a prize in the best toy competitions at school and
frightens all the kids. But this bear has a secret. No one 'knows my
Anzac's woes or just how brave he is.' Like the narrator's Grandpa,
Anzac Ted is very old (100 this year in fact) and he made it through two
wars as a mascot.
This is a lovely picture book for
children aged 4-6 years that will allow very young children to access
just as little of the Anzac legend.
6. 'One Minute's Silence' by David Metzenthen & illustrated by Michael Camilleri (Allen & Unwin)
This non-fiction, it is a moving and powerful
story about the meaning of Remembrance Day drawing on the ANZAC and
Turkish battle at Gallipoli. It is based on true events, but is written in a way that encourages the reader to imagine sprinting up the beach in
Gallipoli in 1915 with the fierce fighting Diggers. The reader is also encouraged to imagine
standing beside the brave battling Turks as they defended their
homeland from the cliffs above.
In the silence that follows a
war long gone, the hope is that you might see what the soldiers saw, and feel a little of what the
soldiers felt. And if you try, you might just be able to imagine the enemy,
and see that he was not so different from 'his' enemy. The purpose is to challenge us to imagine, remember and
honour soldiers on both sides of the conflict. All are heroes who
shed their blood and lost their lives for their countries.
This
is a very moving and powerful reflection on the meaning of Remembrance
Day, which is brought to life by Michael Camilleri's incredible pencil
drawings. Each double page spread is wonderful. One of my favourites is
one that depicts the engineering, physics and impact of a bullet. I
found this to be
quite dramatic and challenging.
Stunningly illustrated in over 70 paintings, The Poppy is the
true story of one of Australia's greatest victories, and of a promise
kept for nearly a century. On Anzac Day, 1918, a desperate night
counter-attack in the French village of Villers-Bretonneux became one of
Australia's greatest victories. A bond
was forged that night between France and Australia that has never been
broken. Villers-Bretonneux is 'The town that never forgets'. What was
achieved that terrible night - and what happened after - is a story
that, likewise, Australians should never forget.
Anzac Day is the day when we remember and honour Anzac traditions down
the ages, from the first faltering march of wounded veterans in 1916 to
the ever increasing numbers of their descendants who march today.
Containing reference to the many places the ANZACs have fought, and the
various ways in which they keep the peace and support the civilians in
war-torn parts of the world today, this is a picture book that looks not
only at traditions, but also the effects of war.
Phil Cummings adopts a dual narrative -
each double page switches from Rachel and her mother in their kitchen,
to Rachel's Dad who is fighting in the war - referred to as 'the
soldier'. Rachel and her mother busy themselves making ANZAC biscuits, in the
kitchen. The language is light and fun filled describing their antics as
they prepare their home cooked gift. Each double page focusing on the soldier picks up on an element from
the cosy kitchen - the crash and bang of pots and pans becomes the 'bang
bang' of gunfire shots for the soldier. The warm smoke touched kitchen
with its delicious aromas from the fireplace, becomes the 'choking
smell' of 'angry guns'. Cummings uses structure brilliantly here, this would be a great book to utilise in story crafting activities. The poetic overtones to Cumming's language choices are a real
highlight, and they are matched perfectly by Owen Swan's illustrations.
The delicate soft lines reflect the tone of the narrative. They sweep
the reader through the alternate scenes of the soldier, then the warm
home. ANZAC Biscuits is wonderful way to remember ANZAC Day, it
offers many discussion points both relating to the subject of war and
the use of language.
Inspired by true events, The Anzac Puppy demonstrates the
strength dogs often provided soldiers during war. Freda, born during the
war, became a good luck mascot for a soldier and his friends and
inspired them to stay safe so they could honour a promise to bring the
dog home.
11. 'Anzac Tale' by Ruth Starke and illustrated by Greg Holfield
When Australia pledges its support to Great Britain at the outbreak
of World War I, mates Roy Martin and Wally Cardwell are among the first
to enlist.
But what the friends first thought would be an adventure soon turns to
disaster The day after the landing at Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915, more
than 2000 of their fellow Anzacs are dead. As the campaign drags on,
life for Wally and Roy and their new friend, Tom, becomes a battle of
endurance against a plucky enemy, a hostile landscape, flies, fleas,
cold and disease. The story of the Anzac campaign, including the battle
of Lone Pine, is interspersed with scenes of Australians at home to show
the shift from popular support of the Empire at the start of the war to
profound disillusionment as the casualties begin to mount.
This is a wonderful book recommended by Justine who has used it with her class to great effect. The experiences of the soldiers landing at Anzac Cove are offered with animals filling the main characters roles of
soldiers, officers, enemies and family at home. This is a different but powerful way to introduce children to this important story of courage, suffering and defeat.
The theme of 'war' is a very common one whether in adult books or those for children and young adults. Typically, these books focus on the impact of war on children's lives and families. As many nations around the world remember various key centenary dates relating to World War I there seem to be many new and varied books addressing this theme for children. What I like about the collection of books that have come across my desk in recent months is the complexity of the stories that a told and the effort to apply new lenses to an old theme. I have reviewed them below in appropriate age order. The novels are particularly rich and challenging.
1. 'Anzac Ted' by Belinda Landsberry (Exisle Publishing)
'Anzac Ted's a scary bear
and I can tell you why.
He's missing bits, his tummy splits,
he only has one eye'
That's how this beautifully illustrated book begins. A battered old teddy, that never wins a prize in the best toy competitions at school and frightens all the kids. But this bear has a secret. No one 'knows my Anzac's woes or just how brave he is.' Like the narrator's Grandpa, Anzac Ted is very old (100 this year in fact) and he made it through two wars as a mascot.
This is a lovely picture book for children aged 4-6 years that will allow very young children to access just as little of the Anzac legend.
2. 'One Minute's Silence' by David Metzenthen & illustrated by Michael Camilleri (Allen & Unwin)
This non-fiction, it is a moving and powerful
story about the meaning of Remembrance Day drawing on the ANZAC and
Turkish battle at Gallipoli. It is based on true events, but is written in a way that encourages the reader to imagine sprinting up the beach in
Gallipoli in 1915 with the fierce fighting Diggers. The reader is also encouraged to imagine
standing beside the brave battling Turks as they defended their
homeland from the cliffs above.
In the silence that follows a
war long gone, the hope is that you might see what the soldiers saw, and feel a little of what the
soldiers felt. And if you try, you might just be able to imagine the enemy,
and see that he was not so different from 'his' enemy. The purpose is to challenge us to imagine, remember and
honour soldiers on both sides of the conflict. All are heroes who
shed their blood and lost their lives for their countries.
This
is a very moving and powerful reflection on the meaning of Remembrance
Day, which is brought to life by Michael Camilleri's incredible pencil
drawings. Each double page spread is wonderful. One of my favourites is one that depicts the engineering, physics and impact of a bullet. I found this to be
quite dramatic and challenging.
'The Afghanistan Pup' is book 4 in the Children in War Quartet by fabulous author and illustrator Mark Wilson.
It is the story of an abandoned pup, a young girl in Afghanistan who
just wants to go to school, and an Australian Soldier. It is a story of
unexpected friendship, sacrifice, and finding hope in the strangest
places.
The puppy is found abandoned by a little girl,
Kinah. The backdrop and setting is the war in Afghanistan. When Kinah's
school is bombed the dog is alone again until an Australian soldier
rescues it. You'll need to read the book to find out how these stories
are woven together.
Mark Wilson uses his wonderful art
and well-chosen words to tell a great story with power. His illustrative
work includes newspaper clippings, and varied beautiful images that are
stunning. This is a special book that children aged 7-10 will enjoy.
This graphic novel has been adapted from the book 'War Brothers' written by Sharon McKay and published by Puffin in Canada in 2008. In its earlier form as a novel, it won the Arthur Ellis award for Juvenile fiction. This is a different kind of war. It is an evil war in the name of religion. It is not faith that drives these rebels; it is ideology and a quest for power. This is a fictional story based on real interviews in Uganda. While the graphic novel tells of unimaginable cruelty and violence, it is also a message of hope, courage, family and friendship. This is a war where rebels steal boys and girls from farms in Uganda driven by a militant named Joseph Kony who has terrorised parts of central Africa for almost 20 years. Young boys are forced to kill or be killed, and girls serve as slaves and 'wives'.
While the book is in a form that readers as young as 10-12 could read, its content is confronting means that for me, it is a piece of adolescent fiction. The illustrations are very effective. The darkly washed watercolours seem appropriate for an equally dark tale. It is a difficult story to read, but it offers an important caution against the excesses of ideology and religious extremism, and the failure of governments and nations to act quickly in the face of this type of evil. Suitable for readers 12+.
This is the fourth book in the popular 'Through My Eyes' series of adolescent fiction. It is a moving novel about one child's life in the middle of the drug war in Mexico. This of course is a different kind of war. Not a war fought over territory in the traditional sense but one that centres on control of places and the trafficking of drugs.
The central character, Emilio Garcia Lopez, starts out on an ordinary school day. That evening a knock on the door changes everything. The arrival of his police-officer cousin Juanita, flanked by a tall man in the uniform of the Federal Police, turns his normal day into the beginning of a long nightmare. Unidentified criminals, who appear to know a great deal about her and have mistaken her for a wealthy businesswoman, have kidnapped Emilio's mother in broad daylight from a hotel carpark. This is a dark novel that is engaging and challenging. Suitable for mature readers aged 13+.
This is the sixth book in the 'Through My Eyes' series from Allen & Unwin that once again challenges adolescent readers to consider the struggles of people living in contemporary conflict zones. Zafir moves from Dubai to a comfortable life in Homs, Syria, where things are different. One day when he sees a body thrown from a moving car and no-one stops, he knows that things have changed in this country. He hears his parents arguing over the future of the nation and one day his father, a doctor,
is arrested for helping a protester who was campaigning for revolution. His mother heads to Damascus to try to find out where his father
is being held, Zafir stays with his grandmother - until her house is
bombed.
With his father in prison, his mother absent, his grandmother
ill and not a friend left in the city, Zafir must stay with his Uncle
Ghazi. But that too becomes dangerous as the city becomes more and more
besieged. This challenging book about a boy trapped in the middle of a civil war in Syria, draws the reader in as we contemplate with Zafir the possibility that he might not survive long enough to be reunited with his
parents. This is an excellent end to a wonderful series of books. Suitable for readers aged 12+.
This is another gripping tale from one of my favourite authors of historical fiction. It is the story of a teenager who ends up as a deck boy on navy ships, learning the ropes, fitting in with the crew, and facing wartime action in World War II.
The boys had been trained for emergencies. They had to know how to launch a lifeboat and to know where the life jackets were stored. But they were hardly prepared for the horrors before them. What an exploding torpedo do? And how will the ship and its crew behave when it sinks under you. No-one was able to prepare them for the blackness of night, or the horror of battle.
It is 1940, war rages and there is nothing to keep Adam Chisholm aged 15 years at home. So he joins Britain's Merchant Navy. His first ship takes him on a stormy Atlantic convoy where he faces seasickness, submarines, and shipwreck. In his remarkable sea journeys, Adam meets enemies face to face, and makes friends—some for a lifetime. The book includes a seven-page glossary of nautical terms and features WWII memorabilia throughout.
This is a very readable book that will keep readers aged 12+ engaged. It is beautifully written as with all of McRobbie's books. It tells the story of war time battles that shows how men of honour and courage experience war. The book
describes life at sea with great detail. This feature of McRobbie's books invites the reader to 'become' part of the action and adventure. A great read.
This is the true story of a young girl who grows up in war-torn
Sierra Leone, Michaela DePrince. She witnesses atrocities that no child ever
should. Rebels kill her father and her mother dies of famine.
She is then sent to an orphanage, is mistreated and witnesses the brutal
murder of her favourite teacher. But her life takes a turn for the better when after raising five children of her own Elaine DePrince travels to Sierra Leone to adopt an orphan living in a difficult place.
For Michaela her dream of being a ballet dancer was implanted in her when one day a wind blew a magazine through the orphanage that she was living in. Michaela picks it up
and sees a beautiful image of a young woman dancing. She
thinks to herself, one day I want to be that happy. And so a dream is born.Elaine DePrince and her husband adopt Michaela and her best
friend and Michaela is able to take dance
lessons for the first time. But her life in the USA isn't without its problems. The world of ballet that she finds is a racist one, and Michaela has to
fight for a place amongst the ballet elite, hearing the words "America's
not ready for a black girl ballerina".
Today, Michaela is an international ballet star, dancing for The Dutch National Ballet at the age of 19. This is a heart-breaking and yet inspiring autobiography by a teenager who shows us,
that there is always hope where there is a dream, and the means and love to support you as you search for it.
Other relevant links
The Power and Place of Historical Narrative (HERE)
Historical fiction (HERE)
This is the true story of how one little girl
survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6th 1945. Junko
Morimoto narrates the story of her family, her early life and memory of
life in Japan during the second World War, and the day she was hit by a
“thunderous flash and an explosion of sound” and the miracle of her
survival. This moving simple retelling of that day in word, family
photographic record and illustration, uses the place and her experience to recall an event that changed her life and that of
the world.
