In Flanders Fields
Early on Christmas morning the guns stop firing. A deathly silence creeps over the pitted and ruined landscape. A young soldier peers through a periscope over the top of the trench. Way out in no-man’sland, he sees a small red shape moving on the barbed wire. A brightly coloured robin is trapped. One wing is flapping helplessly. An eloquent counterpoint to the senselessness and inhumanity of war, In Flanders Fields tells the story of a young homesick World War I soldier, who risks his life to cross the no-man’s land and rescue a robin caught in the barbed wire that separates the opposing forces, dug into their trenches. This moving picture book is a plea for compassion.
Publisher: Fremantle Press
Illustrations: Brian Harrison-Lever
Awards
American SPCA Henry Burgh Award (Honour Book 2004)
Children’s Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year (Winner 2003)
Children’s Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year (Winner 2003)Western Australian Premier’s Book Award (Shortlisted 2002)
“
This story provides a compelling counterpoint to images often seen of war, depicting its senselessness and inhumanity.
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Aussie Reviews
An eloquent counterpoint to the senselessness and inhumanity of war, In Flanders Fields tells the story of a young homesick World War I soldier who risks his life to cross the no-man’s-land and rescue a robin caught in the barbed wire that separates the opposing forces.
“
Telling children about war without overwhelming them with the horror of it is a balancing act that Norman Jorgensen and Brian Harrison-Lever pull of beautifully in this touching picture book … Full of finely observed detail, this is an excellent introduction to the historical reality of life in the trenches and the meaning of compassion.
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The Age
“
… captures a poignant message of peace, set in the trenches of World War I
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The West Australian
