Some topics can be difficult for children to process. War is one of those topics. Reading gentle stories and books can be an effective way to introduce or explain information to your children that they may be exposed to by the media.
There are also stories of bravery and honour that we want to pass on to our children. Finding stories that are pitched at children can be difficult. Here is a collection of moving stories suitable for children.
My Gallipoli
Author: Ruth Starke
Illustrator: Robert Hannaford
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781921504761
Publisher: Working Title Press, March 2015
With annotated notes on the closing pages, this incredible book chronicles the places and experiences of many people who encountered Gallipoli during the years of 1914- 1915, both ANZAC and Turkish soldiers and those who represented the British Indian Army; nurses and chaplains; young boys and Turkish leaders; Indigenous Australians and fallen soldiers; shipmen and mules; mothers fathers and sisters; artists and descendants. My Gallipoli is an inclusive and well-researched overview of the landing at Gallipoli and the people it touched.
The Last ANZAC
Author: Gordon Winch
Illustrator: Harriet Bailey
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781925059298
Publisher: New Frontier Publishing, March 2015
This is a great ANZAC story for young children who see soldiers as heroes. Through the eyes of a young boy, we meet and learn about Alec Campbell, the longest-living ANZAC soldier, who died in 2002 at the age of 103.
The Anzac Puppy
Author: Peter Millett
Illustrator: Trish Bowles
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781775430971
Publisher: Scholastic NZ, March 2015
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.
One Minute’s Silence
Author: David Metzenthen
Illustrator: Michael Camilleri
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781743316245
Publisher: Allen & Unwin, August 2014
It is a guarantee that the bravery and innocence of our ANZAC soldiers will never be forgotten, but this chillingly detailed and poetic story also awakens empathy for those we have long considered enemies.
Once a Shepherd
Author: Glenda Millard
Illustrator: Phil Lesnie
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781921720628
Publisher: Walker Books Australia, August 2014
This book offers children a subtle exposure to war. It reminds us that life exists before and after war, and that fallen soldiers find ways to live on in family and young ones.
The Soldier’s Gift
Author: Tony Palmer
Illustrator: Jane Tanner
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780670077571
Publisher: Penguin Books Australia, 2014
With sincere emotion, this story tells of a young soldier, who shares an influential and loving bond with his sister, sending home three Aleppo Pine seeds before he dies, knowing they will provide comfort to his grieving family.
Gallipoli
Author: Kerry Greenwood
Illustrator: Annie White
ISBN: 978-1743621295
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Scholastic Press, March 2014
Author, Kerry Greenwood, shares her father’s story in a heart-warming tale of two mates who are initially excited about their post, but soon realise that their friendship is paramount in helping them get through the terror of fighting at Gallipoli. The story is quite detailed and lengthy but is supported by a range of stunning water-coloured illustrations and sketches of personal sepia-coloured photographs.
I Was Only Nineteen
Author: John Schumann
Illustrator: Craig Smith
ISBN: 978-1743317235
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Allen & Unwin, February 2014
Craig Smith brings John Schumann’s confronting war-themed song to life with illustrations rich in meaning and emotion. The text and illustrations will undoubtedly give parents and teachers much to discuss with children, in particular the human cost of war.
Along the Road to Gundagai
Author: Jack O’Hagan
Illustrator: Andrew McLean
ISBN: 978-1862919792
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Omnibus Books (Scholastic Australia), February 2014
The lyrics of the well-known Australian song, Along the Road to Gundagai, convey the hopeful thoughts of a soldier as he fights in WW1. This picture book adaptation features beautiful illustrations- some wordless- that alternate between the soldier’s reality and his dreams.
Midnight
Author: Mark Greenwood
Illustrator: Frane Lessac
ISBN:978-1921977718
Format Hardcover
Publisher: Walker Books, February 2014
Published
This is the extensively researched story of Midnight and her rider, Lieutenant Guy Haydon, who was part of the Australian Light Horse’s Charge on Beersheba in October 1917. Frane’s rich and remarkable illustrations complement this very touching story.
ANZAC BISCUITS
Author: Phil Cummings
Illustrator: Owen Swan
ISBN: 978-1742833460
Format: Hardback
Publisher: Scholastic Australia, March 2013
Here is a tender and subtle story of war. Anzac Biscuits is a story that goes beyond the experiences of soldiers. It shows the private moments of families who are left behind to worry about their fathers, brothers, uncles and sons.
Laid out over alternate pages, Phil Cummings cleverly tells two stories simultaneously. A young man fights a war on the other side of the world while his wife and daughter bake Anzac Biscuits for him.
THE TREASURE BOX
Author: Margaret Wild
Illustrator: Freya Blackwood
ISBN: 978-0670073658
Format: Hardback
Publisher: Penguin Books Australia, January 2013
After a library is burned down during the war, a young boy and his father keep the last surviving book safe in a treasure box. Even though they had fled their home, and the boy had lost his father and was too weak to carry his suitcase, he kept his promise to keep the book safe.
The Treasure Box starts with visions of war but symbolises identity, nationality, survival, hope and perseverance
THE RED POPPY
Author: David Hill
Illustrator: Fifi Colston
ISBN: 978-1869439989
Format: Hardback
Publisher: Scholastic New Zealand Limited, March 2012
Publisher’s Description: The powerful story of one man’s fight in the trenches and the little messenger dog who saved him. Young soldier Jim McLeod waits in the trenches of World War I for the order to attack the enemy.
With him are his friends, and Nipper, the messenger dog. When they charge across no-man’s-land, Jim is shot and finds himself face to face-with an enemy soldier.
LONE PINE
Authors: Susie Brown and Margaret Warner
Illustrator: Sebastian Ciaffaclione
ISBN: 978-1921541346
Format: Hardback
Publisher: Little Hare (Hardie Grant Egmont), April 2012
Lone Pine touches on the battle and the loss of lives, but its main focus is to show how a pine tree and its scattered pine cones have connected families, generations and countries through memorial and remembrance.
Lone Pine is a combination of emotional text and wistful illustrations. It is the true story of the pine tree that currently stands on the grounds of the Australian War Memorial.
ARCHIE’S LETTER: AN ANZAC DAY STORY
Author: Martin Flanagan
Illustrator: Ainsley C. Walters
ISBN: 978-0980794878
Format: Paperback
Publisher: One Day Hill, December 2011
Martin Flanagan has adapted The Line (written in collaboration with his father, Archie Flanagan) to provide a story suitable for older children.
Archie’s Letter effectively combines personal recounts and primary sources to provide children with a comprehensive and heart-wrenching account of one soldier’s war experience.
Archie, a teacher and a writer, kept records of his experiences in letters and poems during World War II. He wrote poignantly about working under Japanese rule on the Burma Railway, disease, abuse, death and working alongside ‘Weary’ Dunlop.
Archie’s children noticed that their father was different from other men. Quiet and withdrawn he would deal with his grief without inflicting hate on the ones around him. In 2002, Archie met with an elderly Japanese woman who wanted to know the truth about World War II. She helped him to forgive the Japanese for their wrongdoings towards him and his friends.
Archie’s Letter ends with a copy of a letter Archie wrote to the Anzac community in 2010, explaining the reason he would miss his first Dawn Service.
DO NOT FORGET AUSTRALIA
Author: Sally Murphy
Illustrator: Sonia Kretschmar
ISBN: 978-1921529863
Format: Hardback
Publisher: Walker Books Australia, March 2012
Publisher’s Description: Henri lives in the French village of Villers-Bretonneux. Billy lives in Melbourne, Australia. These two little boys, who live thousands of miles away from each other, share one story that unites Villers-Bretonneux and Melbourne in history. A moving and inspiring story of World War One.
A DAY TO REMEMBER: The Story of Anzac Day
Author: Jackie French
Illustrator: Mark Wilson
ISBN: 978-0732293604
Format: Hardback
Publisher: HarperCollins, March 2012
This non-fiction picture book provides a visual timeline of what has occurred on each Anzac Day over the past century. It describes the various wars fought by the ANZACs during this time, and how our respect for the ANZACs has changed and grown over time.
The timeline begins with a snapshot of the fatal day in 1915 when the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed at Anzac Cove.
Each subsequent snapshot, representing a different year, provides information on the elements of history that have made Anzac Day what it is today. Readers learn about where soldiers have fought when the first dawn service was held when Anzac Day became a public holiday when the Australian War Memorial was opened, when Anzac Cove was named, and when children began walking in the parades.
It is an extraordinarily informative and comprehensive book that is complemented by Mark Wilson’s extremely detailed illustrations. He uses a range of colours and styles to portray different eras, personal experiences and individual perspectives effectively.
THE HORSES DIDN’T COME HOME
The Horses Didn’t Come Home
Author: Pamela Rushby
ISBN: 978-0732293543
Format: Paperback
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd
This is the harrowing tale of the horses that bravely fought with the Australian soldiers in the Battle of Beersheba. It is a part of Australia’s military history which is not widely known.
The story is shared between two characters. Laura is at home in Australia. Her horse was sent to the Middle East to be used during World War I battles. The second character is Harry. He is a soldier fighting in the Battle of Beersheba with his sister’s horse, Bunty. Harry sends many letters to Laura and never shields her from the truth. It is in a poem written by Trooper Bluegum that she learns the fate of her horse.
The Australian soldiers won the battle with the help of their loyal steeds. Ultimately the horses would not be given the respect they deserved though. Deemed too expensive and difficult to return home to Australia many were killed and others were sold to English and Indian armies. Many devastated soldiers, including Harry, illegally destroyed their horses to ensure abuse and torture would not come their way.
Pamela Rushby credits her inspiration and research sources. She provides a glossary for readers and a background to the story at the back of the book.
SIMPSON AND HIS DONKEY
Author and Illustrator: Mark Greenwood and Frane Lessac
ISBN:978-1921150180
Format: Hardback
Publisher: Walker Books Australia, March 2008
Set during World War I, Simpson and his Donkey is a child-friendly story about the difficult topic of war and the heroes that arise from it.
ANZAC DAY PARADE (Australian Edition)
Author and Illustrator: Glenda Kane and Lisa Allen
ISBN: 9780143504412
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Group (NZ), March 2010
Publisher’s Description: A poignant look at war through the eyes of a former member of the 18th Battalion. Told in rhyme it takes place on Anzac Day when an old man and a young boy meet – the young boy wide-eyed and wanting to hear the glories of war and death; the old man quietly sad to remember the reality of what was faced.
MY GRANDAD MARCHES ON ANZAC DAY
Author: Catriona Hoy and Bejamin Johnson
ISBN:978-0734410368
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Hachette Australia, February 2008
This simple and dynamic story shows how war service can bring generations together.
It is the story of a young girl who participates in formal Anzac Day events with her father and grandfather. Readers walk away from the book with a strong need to remember and pass on the stories of our national servicemen and women.
My Grandad Marches on Anzac Day includes a detailed foreword about Anzac Day and the ode.
