It is Anzac Day, a day when all Australians and New Zealanders remember their countrymen who have fought in wars, beginning with WW1. It is a holiday in Australia so any celebration done at school is usually before or after the actual day. This year it is right at the end of the school holidays so it will be afterwards. I have collected together all the picture books in my library ready for teachers and parents to borrow on Monday. Once it was hard to find books for early childhood aged children, but now there are so many wonderful picture books just right for sharing and discussing with young children.
Here's our collection:
• The Bantam and the Soldier by Jennifer Beck and Robyn Bolton
• Lone Pine by Susie Brown and Margaret Warner
• Why Are You Marching, Daddy? by Di Burke
• The Fair Dinkum War by David Cox
• Memorial by Gary Crew and Shaun Tan
• Anzac Biscuits by Phil Cummings and Owen Swan
• Grandad's Medals by Tracy Duncan and Bruce Potter
• A Day to Remember by Jackie French and Mark Wilson
• The Donkey of Gallipoli by Mark Greenwood and Frane Lessac
• The Red Poppy by David Hill and Fifi Colson
• My Grandad Marches on Anzac Day by Catriona Hoy and Benjamin Johnson
• Anzac Day Parade by Glenda Kane and Lisa Allen
• In Flanders Fields by Norman Jorgensen and Brian Harrison-Lever
• Harry and the Anzac Poppy by John Lockyer
• My Mother's Eyes: The Story of an Australian Boy Soldier by Mark Wilson
Some of these are fairly new, such as Anzac Biscuits and Lone Pine which are particularly moving and provide plenty of food for thought. These books have been written about on many websites and many come with teaching notes.
I was just about to talk about A Day to remember which is on the CBCA short list as you know and is a very timely book for ANZAC day especially with the 100 anniversary next year. I will link to your post from my post because you have mentioned all my best ANZAC books! As usual you are one step ahead of me. I did think Phil Cummings did a terrific job with Anzac biscuits.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about Anzac Biscuits. I even felt inspired to make some.
ReplyDeleteThat's so interesting. I know The Donkey of Gallipoli as Simpson and his Donkey by Greenwood and Lessac. Published by Walker/Candlewick. Yet Donkey is Random House. But same book!
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