It's strange to think that exactly one hundred years ago, "the war to end all wars" was just beginning. How fantastic it would have been for that to be true. I'm not sure whether it's because it's more recent history or because the atrocities committed were even more horrific, but children tend to learn a lot more about World War II and the First World War is glossed over.
The Story of World War One helps to redress the balance and is the perfect, child-friendly accompaniment to all the programmes on TV that have been mentioning the centenary.
It begins with a look at how the war began. The colourful, cartoonish illustrations remind me a bit of The Beatles' Yellow Submarine artwork.
The book takes a brief look at the world at the time and how it was split into different empires. Inquisitive minds will surely want to know more about what that means as there is no explanation of what an empire is - parental participation or a quick search online will fill in any blanks though.
Each double-page spread looks at a different aspect of the war - life in the trenches, the weapons used, the role of women ...- using lots of pictures and very succinct but information-packed texts. Even as a gown-up, I learnt a few things, which is always a good sign.
It also looks at how the war changed the world forever, moulding people's attitudes, with a final nod to "In Flanders Fields", which explains why the poppy is now the symbol used to commemmorate the war.
It's an educational but entertaining read which perfectly ties in with the centenary commemoration. Lest We Forget.
star rating : 4.5/5
RRP : £4.99
- Paperback: 24 pages
- Publisher: Orion Childrens (5 Jun 2014)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1444010859
- ISBN-13: 978-1444010855
- Product Dimensions: 25.1 x 17.5 x 0.6 cm
Disclosure : We received the book in order to write an honest review.
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Seems a good book for children and their families etc to learn about the first world war (The War to end ALL Wars, yet didn't).Historical and Educational.
ReplyDeleteRachel Craig