At the close of the 20th century, children's literature has seen a dramatic increase in books on the theme of war. There is, perhaps, a feeling that records need to be set straight and passed on to the generations of the 21st century—and more importantly, that children must learn about war and its consequences. In Times of War is an anthology of extracts, short stories, and poetry from children's literature on the theme of war and peace; contributions include the work of distinguished writers and artists: Michael Foreman's War Game, Judith Kerr's When Hitler Stole the Pink Rabbit, Michael Morpurgo's War Horse, Art Spiegelman's Maus, as well as pieces on more recent conflicts in Bosnia and Rwanda. This compelling anthology is the result of a collaboration of educators in Belgium, Britain, and Portugal; known collectively as the Comenius Project, they have chosen these books not only for their instructive value but for the sheer pleasure of their reading.
Educators in the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Portugal have collaborated to collect and translate excerpts from literature published in each country on the topic. The anthology, founded on the editors' belief in the "power of imaginative literature" to help children think about war, is divided into seven thematic sections, such as "Remembering and Forgetting" and "Escape, Survival and Rescue." Most of the selections describe World War I or II in Europe. Complete poems drawn from adult literature are pieced together with fragments cut from longer stories published for children. Since novels and picture books written for children about war usually have a carefully designed pattern that sets the tone and provides context for horrific events, scenes cut away from this pattern are unsatisfying and sometimes disturbing. In a poignant piece clipped from Michael Morpurgo's War Horse, a farm boy's beloved horse is sold to the army, but readers never know if it lives or dies. This anthology best serves adults as an introduction to the original works excerpted, although at least a third are translated from longer works in Dutch or Portuguese that might be difficult to find in the United States. Still, because of the number and quality of the selections and the emphasis on drama over preaching, it could be a useful starting point for anyone planning a curriculum around issues of war and peace.
Margaret A. Chang, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Gr. 6-12. In addition to familiar writers like Art Spiegelman and Robert Westall, readers will discover voices that are new to them in this illustrated anthology of fiction, memoir, and poetry. Grouped thematically, the selections recall twentieth-century conflicts, but their emotional landscape is timeless. This is a surprisingly even collection, but several stories stand out. In "The Red Cross Delegation Is Coming," prisoners in Terezin concentration camp are groomed and fed to deceive an international team of inspectors; a soldier repeats the refrain "Something has gone wrong inside my head" in Vernon Scannell's poem "Casualty--Mental Ward"; and in "The Birch Tree," a father and his son plant a "freedom tree" inside their dilapidated stable, with the father promising that "by the time its branches reach the holes in the roof, our country will be free." Compiled by educators in Belgium, England, and Portugal, this collection will be of the greatest use to librarians and teachers looking for short selections to complement curriculum units or introduce literary themes such as survival, loss, and hope.
Randy MeyerCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
