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And the Soldiers Sang
You will be home before the leaves have fallen from the trees. So said Kaiser Wilhelm II to his German army in August 1914. But World War I would rage for more than 4 years, taking the lives of nearly 10 million soldiers. Some of the most unrelenting combat was waged along the infamous Western Front, where, for one unforgettable Christmas in 1914, enemies set guns aside an...more
Hardcover, 32 pages
Published
August 24th 2011
by Creative Editions
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A young Welshman narrates a grim yet poetic first-person account of the 1914 Christmas Eve truce between British and German troops near Ypres, Belgium, in this picture book for older readers. This is NOT a children's book. Rather, it is young adult or adult historical fiction at its most lyrical and heartbreaking. Every page is rich with imagery and figurative language, lending dignity and grace to the horrors of war reflected in Gary Kelley's haunting illustrations. An author's note on the fina...more
This is a short, simple tale of an unbelievable truce in the midst of a bloody war that claimed almost 10 million lives. This book haunts with its quiet prose, clear and short sentences and its sepia-toned portraits of enemies that become merely men celebrating Christmas before descending once more into warfare. The sentences are enclosed in brief blocks of print like links in a daisy chain. Phrases such as “grief arrived on the second hand, by sniper, shell, sleet, and snow” and “iced-over dais...more
On Christmas Eve, 1914, as WW1 gets rolling, the fighting stops while British and German soldiers sing carols, play soccer and feast together.
I picked this book up because it retells this amazing event, through new eyes.
I finished it because the story is so compelling. Based on a true story, this fictionalized account reinforces the tragedy that was WW1 and is all wars that continue to be fought today. You can't read this book and not think about how the soldiers that fight and die are just too...more
I picked this book up because it retells this amazing event, through new eyes.
I finished it because the story is so compelling. Based on a true story, this fictionalized account reinforces the tragedy that was WW1 and is all wars that continue to be fought today. You can't read this book and not think about how the soldiers that fight and die are just too...more
It's difficult for me to think that people could read this book and not realize that war is terrible, and nothing heroic can change that. It's such a gorgeous book, both story and the haunting art by Gary Kelley. I was teary by the end, and read it twice more. Go find this book and read it. And then you will realize the craft of the words, although also sad, and the beauty of the illustrations. It is poetry: "In November, grief arrived on the second hand, by sniper, shell, sleet, and snow." A yo...more
Haunting illustrations and sparse text tell the story of a remarkable incident from WWI, in which both sides called a truce and met in the middle of the battlefield in order to celebrate Christmas.
Although this book is cataloged in the Juvenile section, it is decidedly not for young children--the author does not spare readers from the horror and cruelty of war.
At one point, the soldiers slaughter a wandering pig in order to roast the animal for Christmas dinner. Now, I won't begrudge starving,...more
Although this book is cataloged in the Juvenile section, it is decidedly not for young children--the author does not spare readers from the horror and cruelty of war.
At one point, the soldiers slaughter a wandering pig in order to roast the animal for Christmas dinner. Now, I won't begrudge starving,...more
It might be my family background -- Irish American; father who loved history; raised in Germany -- etc. but I never tire of the story of the Christmas Truce in WWI. It's maudlin; joyful; and dark -- all at the same time. So I was pleasantly impressed by this picture book adaptation that doesn't really shy away from the implications of taking a break from war. The illustrations are grimy; the narrator dies at the end -- but the theme of setting aside one's differences to find common ground resona...more
Dec 17, 2011
Judy Desetti
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone interested in WWI, or History teachers
A moving account of the Christmas Truce of 1914 during World War I. Images work well to bring a message of futility of war, of the carnage, grief, abysmal conditions, and longing for home. This will pair nicely with the YouTube clips I found showing actual footage of world war I soldiers, war horses, and two clips about the Christmas Truce. Pair with Jim Murphy's nonfiction, Christmas Truce.
I plan to use this with seventh and eighth graders. Reading level is approx 5.1
Truce: The Day the Soldie...more
I plan to use this with seventh and eighth graders. Reading level is approx 5.1
Truce: The Day the Soldie...more
Great read for ELA/Memoirs lesson or Social Studies WW1. I never knew about this famous Christmas Eve cease-fire along the Western Front. German and British soldiers sing together from the trenches only to return to battle the next day. this book offers a brief timeline leading up to the Christmas Eve truce. This book is presented in a beautifully illustrated, graphic-novel like format. It fits very well within the "multiple perspectives" format of Common Core. Best for middle schoolers.
Grades 5-8. On Christmas Day during WWI, in 1914, in some portions of the Western Front, Allied and Axis forces set down their guns and celebrated together with meals, singing, and burying of their dead. The characters are fictional, but it is based on true events. I appreciate the story being told, but didn't care for the style in which it was presented-- the text is choppy and seems to make the connection to the story less personal. Still, there are few short stories out there about WWI.
An incredible story about soldiers who stopped fighting on Christmas Eve during WWII. They put down their weapons and sang "Silent Night" and forgot the war for a short time. The pictures are beautiful also. The book was so good, I looked for more titles by this author. I really enjoyed "Please Bury Me in the Library", especially the quirky little Haiku. Further searching revealed he wrote a book about twin boys and he is a twin!
This famous Christmas story is one that has touched many lives throughout the years. J. Patrick Lewis does an excellent job taking us back to that night when enemies became friends, and the war ceased for several hours. Told in the colloquial language of the time and illustrated with real-life caricatures of the soldiers, this book is sure to produce emotion, maybe even a few tears from the older crowd. Not recommended for young children.
This book is very descriptive and would be a book I would leave in my library if I was in a fourth or fifth grade classroom. This is a book about soldiers and history so for any student interested in those things this would be a perfect book. I know that last year my little brother was in 4th grade and he loved books like this.
Based on a momentary ceasefire on Christmas day with soldiers during World War 1. This books interest and comprehension level is to high for elementary age students who would be looking to picture books for entertainment and/or knowledge about the subject. Would be much better written in a small chapter book format.
This is about my favorite story from WWI when the British and the Germans stopped the war on Christmas. I thought this book did a good job of not over sentimentalizing this story and the Graphic Novel format will be popular with even the most reluctant of readers.
There is an older book about this event that is a much longer read aloud. This might make a nice read aloud and may be interesting to students who have read or seen War Horse. I can see teacher reading this one aloud before Christmas holidays (aka winter break).
I love books that have amazing art. The illustrator is very talented artist and the story was well written. It's another Christmas story that made me cry about what happened on the Western Front in World War I in 1914 on Christmas Eve.
This beautifully illustrated children's picture book tells of a Christmas truce between soldiers from Great Britain and Germany during World War I. It's a wonderful reminder that war would not happen if we got to know our neighbors.
This picture book about the Christmas Eve truce between Europeans and Germans in World War I is hauntingly lovely and terribly sad. It's honestly beautiful, and a story that should not be missed by World History students.
Grim and gorgeous, this is an excellent historical fiction book about the truce of WWI between the English and German soldiers in "no-man's-land" on Christmas, 1914.
This is a true story of the Christmas Truce of 1914 as told through the eyes of a fictional soldier involved in the truce. Lyrical and beautiful. Ages 10 - adult.
Great for reading to boys. They can imagine themselves in the situations coming from the book. It also adds an element of history to the mix.
Picture book format, but for older readers (4th/5th graders) due to content. This book deals with the Christmas Truce of 1914.
A very moving account of one soldier's experience during the Christmas Truce of World War I.
Not my favorite, but there's no denying it's a compelling story with striking artwork.
A beautiful story of a peaceful moment and an unlikely truce in World War I.
Dark, gritty and sad...what war is really like!
Dec 14, 2011
Clay
marked it as to-read
Kirkus Star
Beautiful historical graphic novel.
A powerful, moving account of the Christimas true on the Western Front in 1914 told from one soldier's perspective.
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J. Patrick Lewis is the current Children's Poet Laureate. He has written more than seventy children's books, including Once Upon a Tomb: Gravely Humorous Verses. J. Patrick Lewis lives in Ohio.
More about J. Patrick Lewis...
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