Review
'To collect, translate and disseminate the rich children's literature on the topic of war and peace'. This was the aim of the EEC-funded 'Comenius' project that gave rise to this anthology. Teachers from Belgium, Portugal and the UK collaborated to produce a book that is not so much a collection of essays, poems and stories written specifically for children, as extracts from war literature that the editors consider children could gain something from reading. Thus we have Thomas Hardy's poem 'The Man he Killed' with a note to point out the author's intentions to show the 'meaninglessness of terms like foe and enemy'. There are, of course, many stories and extracts that need no explanation. For example, Roger Vanboek's 'Sonata in Auschwitz' focuses on a teenage Jewish boy who auditions for a place in the camp orchestra - if he gets it he will be saved from the gas ovens, or a piece from Jan Terlouw's 'War Winter' showing a sixteen-year-old Dutch boy responsible for hiding an English pilot from the Germans in wartime Holland. There are cartoon-illustrated stories from the First World War by 'Tardi' and the second by Art Spiegelman, both painfully horrific, and an extract from Raymond Briggs's touching autobiographical comic strip, 'Ethel and Ernest' - showing how the most ordinary people lived when England was at war. In all there are 70 pieces written by authors of many nationalities about wars all over the world. Most writers and translators have asked for no payment and the intention of everyone concerned is to show a younger generation how cruel, pointless and destructive war is. Also how universal are the emotions and situations that war produces - ordinary people are much the same on all sides. It is a remarkable and praiseworthy effort, probably most suited to classroom work or any shared reading experience. It should prove thought-provoking and will hopefully fulfill it's noble aim. (Kirkus UK)
Product Description
At the close of the 20th century, children's literature has seen a dramatic increase in books on the theme of war. There is, perhaps, a feeling that records need to be set straight and passed on to the generations of the 21st century--and more importantly, that children must learn about war and its consequences. "In Times of War" is an anthology of extracts, short stories, and poetry from children's literature on the theme of war and peace; contributions include the work of distinguished writers and artists: Michael Foreman's "War Game," Judith Kerr's "When Hitler Stole the Pink Rabbit," Michael Morpurgo's "War Horse," Art Spiegelman's "Maus," as well as pieces on more recent conflicts in Bosnia and Rwanda. This compelling anthology is the result of a collaboration of educators in Belgium, Britain, and Portugal; known collectively as the Comenius Project, they have chosen these books not only for their instructive value but for the sheer pleasure of their reading.
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