Light Horse Boy

by Dianne Wolfer, Brian Simmonds (Illustrator)

In 1914 Jim and Charlie abandon the Australian outback for the excitement and adventure of the war to end all wars. But in the Light Horse they quickly discover the brutal realities of life on the frontline. And nothing will ever be the same again.

Featuring charcoal sketches by Brian Simmonds alongside primary source documents and historical photos, Light Horse Boy goes behind the scenes of the great ANZAC legends for an intimate look at their experience of World War I.

Genres: Horses, War, Historical, Fiction, Childrens, Australia, Young Adult

120 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2013

About the author

Dianne lives on the south coast of Western Australia. She is author of 27 books with more titles on the way. Dianne's latest books are 'Soaring with the Sugarbird Lady - the Robin Miller story', 'Cattle Muster' (ill. Frane' Lessac), and 'The Colt from Old Regret' (ill. Erica Wagner).
Her earlier award-winning novel 'Scout and the Rescue Dogs' celebrates truckies and rescue dogs, and links to the catastrophic Black Summer bushfires. It won WA Premier's Award and was shortlisted for the Children's Book Council Awards and the WA Young Readers' Awards.
Other recent titles include: 'The Last Light Horse', a CBCA Notable Book now adapted for CineStage by Theatre 180; 'Mia' (Allen and Unwin's award-winning Through my Eyes series); and an Aussie STEM Stars title about Skye Blackburn-Lang, Australia's first farmer of edible insects.
Dianne's doctoral research into anthropomorphism and animal characters in children's literature was selected as a Board of the Graduate Research School Dean's List Winner in 2017, and led to two books, 'The Dog with Seven Names' (winner of the 2019 Speech Pathology Awards, CBCA Notable, shortlisted for the NSW Premiers Literary Awards and published in China) and 'The Shark Caller' (CBCA Notable and optioned for film). In addition to her general website, Dianne posts about animal characters at www.animalswhotalk.

'The Dog with Seven Names' is written anthropomorphically and explores Australian WW2 history from the perspective of a small dog in north-west WA. Another title with unusual animal perspectives, 'The Shark Caller' is set in Papua New Guinea. This underwater fantasy novel links to both the ancient practise of calling sharks as well as modern-day environmental concerns.
Dianne's picture book, 'Nanna's Button Tin' is published in the US by Candlewick. Other stories in the multi-adapted WW1 'Light' series are the award-winning 'Lighthouse Girl' and 'Light Horse Boy'.
Dianne's book, 'Light Horse Boy' won the WA Premier's Award as well as CBCA Honour book. Partner title, 'Lighthouse Girl' was inspiration for Royal de Luxe Theatre's spectacular Perth street performance, The Giants, won the children’s choice, West Australian Young Readers Book Awards and is a recommended reading text for the National History Curriculum. Lighthouse Girl has also being adapted for Black Swan Theatre by playwright Hellie Turner. The story was based is based on the true tale of Fay Howe, daughter of the Breaksea Island lighthouse keeper, who relayed messages for the departing ANZAC troops in 1914. Light Horse Boy follows the journey of a young soldier who waves to Fay before sailing with the 1st AIF. The book follows Jim’s journey to Egypt, Gallipoli and through iconic battles of WW1’s Desert Campaign. Dianne enjoys combining her love of history with writing fiction. Her picture book, 'Photographs in the Mud' (also a recommended History Curriculum text) was inspired by a research trip along the Kokoda Track. It was published in Japanese and is used as a reference for international workshops promoting peaceful ‘discourse analysis’. Dianne is an active member of writing groups, including the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and served for six years as their WA Advisor. Dianne loves travelling and has spent much of her life overseas.

Awards
2023 CBCA Notable Book, The Last Light Horse
Short listed, CBCA Book Awards for Light Horse Boy and also for Granny Grommet and Me, 2014
Winner, West Australian Young Readers’ Award, 2010
Short listed, NSW Premier’s History Awards, 2009
Short listed, West Australian Premier’s Awards, 2009
Short listed, West Australian Young Readers’ Award, 2007
Short listed, West Australian Young Readers’ Award, 2006
Short listed, West Australian Young Readers’ Award, 2002
Short listed, Family Therapists’ Award for Children’s Literature, 2001
Short listed, Wilderness Society’s Environment Award, 1999
Short listed, West Australian Young Readers’ Book Awar

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this is a terrific book. Another from the Children's Book Week selection I have been working through and I must admit that I left this one till last. I would love to say that I thought I was leaving the best till last, but in truth, I was thinking..... oh no, another war book - and even worse .... another Aussie history war book.

BUT.... as I say ....... this is a terrific book.

Told in three perspectives - Narrator, Jim (the young 17 - 23 year old Aussie farm boy heading off on an adventure with his best mate, Charlie) and Alice (Jim's sister back home). The scrap-booked use of letters, real photos, telegrams and fabulous charcoal drawings by Brian Simmonds, make this an enthralling Australian journey through World War I.

There are no punches pulled as to the glory of war. (Tales of standing on the bodies of barely dead mates in the trenches - firing at the enemy. Tales of picking up body parts of mates. Tales of the hundreds of horses targeted and blown up by the enemy.) Some children may be shocked - but as the young Jim found - war wasn't the adventure they anticipated. Nothing glamorous there.

Jim takes a much prized horse with him - as part of the Light Horse Brigade. His love for this horse will resonate with young readers who will further realize how terrifying the war really was via Jim's description of what he and 'Breaker' had to endure.

This is no one dimensional account either.... Jim understands that 'The Turks' were just defending their home land, and he would do exactly the same. He also encounters the captured German Captain off the Emden - and describes how the sad Captain had to see scores of his men drowned off the Western Australian coast - or impaled on reef with seagulls pecking their open wounds. The captain has an affinity with the horses on board Jim's ship and Jim notes that "horses understand kindness in any language." "The Captain seems just like you and me..."

Fantastic book - my choice for a CBCA prize this year.

[Kylie Purdie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love my Kindle, but books like this are why we need to keep hard copy as well. A book like this would just not work in an electronic format. This is beautiful. It's well written, well researched and just all round charming. It follows the story of Jim and his horse Breaker as they fight in the Great War - World War I. It starts with Jim joining up as a 17 year old (lying about his age) and follows him through to the end. The story is told through traditional third person narration and letters between Jim and his sister Alice back in Australia. Wolfer skilful story telling shows younger readers how many of those who joined up saw it as a big adventure and how they came to realise it was actually a terrible, horrible experience. In the lead up to Anzac Day, this book would be an excellent resource in any classroom to facilitate discussion and reflection.
I read most of this book sitting on a beach, surrounded by sand in the hot Australian sun. It made me pause to think as I read the descriptions of the Egyptian sand and sun and how something I was enjoying so much could also be so harsh and hard.
I read this as part of my yearly challenge to read the Children's Book Council of Australia Younger Readers Book of the Year awards. It's the first I have read in this category and it's was a great start.

[Helen Stower · Rating 5 out of 5]

Light Horse Boy is a powerful book based on the historical events of 1914 - 1918. The characters in the book are fictitious but due to the author’s meticulous research of records and diaries, they are vividly brought to life. This is enhanced through the mixed media of the text which includes letters, diary entries and prose. The visual photographs and beautiful charcoal illustrations by Brian Simmonds also bring the story to life.

The story follows Jim and Charlie who, seeking excitement and adventure, head off to the war to end all wars and take their horses along with them. Jim and Charlie join the 4th Light Horse Brigade and the story follows their arrival and involvement in the war and the terror they faced.

This is a great book and is highly recommended for any students studying World War 1 or to read with young people (age 9+) to help them understand this part of our nation’s history, particularly as we get ready for the 100 year ANZAC commemorations of 2015.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

An impeccable mix of fiction, diary, letters, photo, illustration that brings to life all the different facets of war... the friendships, the horrors, the contradictions and questions, the bravery and the adventure. With Anzac Day almost upon us, this is one book that should be on everyone's to be read list.

[Deborah Sutherland · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully presented book and a perfect partner in reading time to Thomas Keneally's Daughters from mars. Thank you Dianne it was a pleasure to meet you and keep wiring. And so on to Lighthouse Girl.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Needed to give this five stars. The book takes you on such a journey of preparing for war and then through several WWI battles. The old photos give you even more of a sense of the horror. Horses are such incredible animals.

[Jeannie May · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely beautiful book, capturing the spirit and heartbreak of war. So very pleased I purchased this for our school library, I will be thoroughly recommending it!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written, well researched.

[Nick Conrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was really quite interesting.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is just amazing. It is a very detailed history of the Australian Anzacs From the troopships to alexander to Anzac cove this book is definitely worth five stars.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great historical read. I loved the illustrations and the use of archival photographs. Suitable for 10 year olds and up.

[Leila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great if you like historical fiction

[Fiona · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are studying World War 1, in our homeschooling, so I thought I’d read this. As a history buff, and English teacher, I’ve seen this book around for quite a few years. It’s moving, interesting and engaging. Very much liked it.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

James and I have read some beautiful picture books about the Light Horses of WWI so we wanted a book that went a bit deeper. This was an excellent read, but I am glad we read it aloud, together.

[Sean Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wolfer Howls #3
Another decent WW1 tale from Wolfer which is beautifully styled and illustrated and told.
A quick read but a good one.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

For what it is, Light Horse Boy is a book well-written. No, it's beautifully written (except for one howler at the end of the book: "Although old, and scarred, none of us have met a horse with a kinder temperament". It's the horse that's old and scarred, not the writer of the letter).

It's just that I just can't imagine why any child would want to read it. It's a book written with an adult purpose i.e. make sure the kids know plenty about the Anzacs. But it's too convoluted if you have to find some hard facts do a project, and there's no index to help because it's a fictionalised story. It's too long for the average reader, and the story itself doesn't have enough momentum to sustain interest. While the details may change, we all know this story even before we open the book.

Using a mix of letters to and from the soldier and some scene setting from the narrator, it tells the story of Jim from the Light Horse Regiment. He enlists, he spends time in Egypt, he goes to Gallipoli, he goes back to Egypt, he gets wounded and eventually he returns, somewhat battered but his spirit intact.

Along the way he has some politically correct thoughts about the enemy being just the same as they are, he expresses devotion to his horse, he misses his mates who get injured and die and so on. His sister is proud of him; the nurses have soft hands and kind hearts. If it weren't for the extensive collection of photos which illustrate this book - and tell the shocking story of the cruel fate of the horses - Light Horse Boy would be rather dull. Not because it's badly written but because we've all heard this story and its variations so many times, always sanitised of the shameful bits (e.g. outrageous behaviour in Egypt) and always perpetuating heroic bits and pieces of the Anzac legend to 'inspire' children.

There is, actually, something 'new' to tell about the Anzacs, but there's no sign of any author or publisher writing anything about the 400 Aborigines who enlisted even though the racist laws at the time had to be subverted to do it. They remain as invisible in literature as they do in the endless commemorations of this part of our history. As do the nurses. There's no sign of any story about the bravery of the nurses who when staffing field hospitals at the front line were injured by shrapnel, gassed and sometimes killed. They, as they are in this book, are always romanticised, they play bit parts, and they're the love interest.

It's hard to resist the conclusion that this book has been shortlisted for the CBCA Book of the Year because it's the 100th anniversary of the start of WW1. It's been in my school library - including some considerable time on display - and not one child has wanted to borrow it.
Enough said, eh?

[Sarah Mayor Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a companion book to the award winning Lighthouse Girl. It tells the story of two horse-mad Aussie mates, Jim and Charlie who sign up for service in the Light Horse in WWI. It is a beautifully produced book, with mock cloth binding over it’s sturdy hardcovers. There is so much information in this book and so many threads, but the team of Wolfer and Simmonds do a great job with it.

Jim is a farrier, who has a real feeling for animals, especially horses. This leads him to spend much of his time in war-service doing jobs to do with looking after the horses, rather than fighting.

It is a very moving book and I was in tears a number of times. Dianne Wolfer has a gentle and convincing way of including many factual and historical elements without weakening the narrative tension or believability of the story.

Brian Simmonds’ charcoal illustrations work even better in this beautiful book than in Light House Girl. Eg. Page 55 where a soldier is helping an injured mate hobble down a trench in Turkey, and you can just feel the wind and see the rain and pooled water – even though it is just smudged charcoal over the white paper.

The design devices of the book help frame the book for the younger reader:
• The pages told in third person and set in serifed font are accompanied by Simmonds’ illustrations. They are a combination of Jim’s direct story and extra information about the war.
• Jim writes home to his older sister Alice who is a governess in Fern Tree Gully in Victoria. These letters, and the replies from Alice use different fonts and Tracey Gibbs, the designer has also included primary source documents, such as photos to illustrate each page. These pages are set out in scrap book format.

The only thing for me that didn’t work was that some of these letters are deliberately obscured and it frustrated me as a reader, and it stopped the flow, and I didn't think it wasn’t really necessary from a design or literary point of view.

There is also another story, which is woven into Jim’s story of Major General Bridges and his horse Sandy, which you will only know to look out for if you read Wolder's notes at the start of the book.

[ISLN (Int'l School Library Network) Singapore]

Young men sign up for World War I -- and fight in the Middle East not only for the British empire, but to save their beloved horses. (AUS)

[Jemima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!! Beautifully written!! Just loved it!!

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I preferred Lighthouse Girl, but this was still a good read. I love the historical accuracy