![]() The colored pencil drawings are stunningly beautiful in this incredible true story about war veteran James Howard Williams; Bandoola, a working elephant; and Po Toke, the elephant’s keeper. They work together on a teak plantation in Myanmar (Burma), a country in Southeast Asia that was a colony of the British Empire. When World War II forces them to evacuate their home in the jungle, they lead a group of over 200 refugees and over 50 elephants across mountainous terrain to safety in Assam, India. A table of contents, a map, a wonderfully illustrated glossary, suggestions for further reading, and an author’s note add to this highly educational masterpiece. mjw |
Title: Bandoola: The Great Elephant Rescue Author: William Grill Illustrator: William Grill Publisher: Flying Eye Books, an imprint of Nobrow Ltd. London Copyright: 2021 Original Language: English ISBN: 978-1-83874-123-8 Hardcover pages: 88 Age range: 8-14 Genre: Picture Book, Information Book, Nonfiction Book setting: Myanmar and India Author’s ethnicity: English Author’s residence: London Illustrator’s ethnicity: English Illustrator’s residence: London Awards: Author /Illustrator has won the 2015 Kate Greenaway Medal Subjects: Asian history, Burma, Deforestation, Elephants, Green living, Jungle, Logging industry, Monsoons, Mountains, Rainforests, Timber, Timber elephants, World War II |
Tag Archives: War
Last Witnesses (Adapted for Young Adults)
![]() A very helpful Historical Context sets the scene for 65 short personal narratives told by those who were Russian children during World War II and survived terrifying war-time experiences. Nobel Prize-winning Svetlana Alexievich discloses the traumatic memories of children who were separated from their parents, most of them never to be reunited. This is the young adult adaptation of her masterpiece, Last Witness: An Oral History of the Children of WWII. The Russian perspective stories are fascinating as they portray terror, survival, and hope. The book also features a useful glossary. mjw |
Title: Last Witnesses (Adapted for Young Adults) Author: Svetlana Alexievich Publisher: Penguin Random House LLC Copyright: 2021 Original Language: Russian Translator: Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky Original Title: Last Witnesses: An Oral History Of The Children Of WWII Original Publisher: Molodaya Gvardiya, Moscow Original Copyright: 1985 ISBN: 978-0-593-30853-0 Hardcover pages: 288 Age range: 12-17 Genre: Information book, Nonfiction, Oral history Book setting: Russia Author’s ethnicity: Ukrainian Author’s residence: Soviet Union, Belarus, Western Europe Awards: Author has won the 2015 Nobel Prize for Literature. 2022 NCSS Notable Books Subjects: Childhood, Death, Historical biographies, Hope, Military history, Oral history, Resilience, Survival, Terror, WWII, Young adult |
How War Changed Rondo
![]() The Ukrainian husband and wife, author/ illustrator team created this book as a response to their experiences of war in Ukraine. The story is set in the fictional town of Rondo, which is known for its greenhouses of musical flowers. Everyone who lives there speaks to birds and plants, paints pictures, sings, and writes poetry. Rondo is perfect. The three protagonists are Danko who glows like a lantern and has a shining heart, Fabian who resembles a dog-shaped balloon animal, and Zirka who has a bird-like origami body folded from maps and newspaper articles about war. War comes to Rondo bringing its darkness and destruction. Together, the three friends rally their town to devise a plan using light, community, and song to halt war and restore peace. The stunning mixed-media illustrations undergo dramatic shifts in color when war enters and then finally leaves Rondo. mjw |
Title: How War Changed Rondo Author/Illustrator: Romana Romanyshyn and Andriy Lesiv Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books. New York Copyright: 2021 Original Language: Ukrainian Translator: Oksana Lushchevska Original Publisher: Vydavnytstvo Starohoo Leva (The Old Lion Publishing House) Lviv, Ukraine Original Copyright: 2015 ISBN: 978-1-59270-367-8 Hardcover pages: 40 Age range: 5-8 Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Ukrainian Author’s residence: Ukraine Illustrator’s ethnicity: Ukrainian Illustrator’s residence: Ukraine Awards: 2022 USBBY Outstanding International Book Subjects: Death, Flowers, Nature, Peace, Music, Violence, War |
Red Stars: The Case Of Viktor And Nadya’s Notebooks
![]() Diary entries, maps, drawings, and historical photos tell this story of Viktor and Nadya, twelve-year-old twins who were evacuated from Leningrad when Hitler declared war on the Soviet Union. They were separated when they were put on trains that were meant to take them to safety. The story is told in three voices, alternating between Viktor (printed in red), Nadya (printed in dark blue), and an offstage voice of a Soviet Secret Police officer. His handwritten comments are written in the margins. Viktor’s train makes it to Moscow, where he is expected to do hard labor on a kolkhoz (farm). It is rumored that Nadya’s train was bombed with no survivors. Viktor doesn’t believe this and sets off through cold and harsh conditions to find Nadya. They eventually find each other and unravel a mystery of treason and betrayal at the highest level of Soviet leadership. mjw |
Title: Red Stars: The Case Of Viktor And Nadya’s Notebooks Author: Davide Morosinotto Illustrator: Simone Tso Publisher: Delacorte Press Copyright: 2020 Original Language: Italian Translator: Denise Muir Original Title: La Stolgorante luce di due stelle rosse Original Publisher: Mondadori, Milan Original Copyright: 2017 ISBN: 978-1-9848-9332-1 Hardcover pages: 432 Age range: 10-12 Genre: Historical Fiction Book setting: Soviet Union Author’s ethnicity: Italian Author’s residence: Italy Subjects: European historical fiction, Evacuation, Germany, Hitler, Leningrad, MIlitary fictioon, Siblings, Trains, World War II |
Soul Lanterns
![]() Set 25 years after the bombing of Hiroshima, twelve-year-old Nozomi discovers that the long-term emotional and physical effects of the bombing continue. Her art class project is to learn more about the experiences of students’ families on August 6, 1945. Book chapters focus on individual heartbreaking narratives told by survivors. This powerful story from a Japanese perspective shows the impact on the city and emphasizes the message of peace. mjw |
Title: Soul Lanterns Author: Shaw Huzki Publisher: Delacorte Press Copyright: 2021 Original Language: Japanese Translator: Emily Balistrieri Original Title: Hikari no utsushie Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Hiroshima Original Publisher: Kodansha, Ltd. Tokyo Original Copyright: 2013 ISBN: 978-0-593-17436-4 Hardcover pages: 175 Age range: 10 up Genre: Historical Fiction Book setting: Japan Author’s ethnicity: Japanese Author’s residence: Kamakura, Japan Awards: 2022 USBBY Outstanding International Books List Subjects: Art, Atomic bomb, Ceremonies, Grandparents, Hiroshima, Lantern floating ceremony, Peace, World War II |
The Story Of Bodri
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Title: The Story Of Bodri Author: Hedi Fried Illustrator: Stina Wirsen Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers. Grand Rapids, Michigan Copyright: 2021 Original Language: Swedish Translator: Linda Schenck Original Title: Historien om Bodri Original Publisher: Natur & Kultur. Stockholm, Sweden Original Copyright: 2019 ISBN: 978-0-8028-5565-7 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 6-10 Genre: Picture Book. Historical Fiction Author’s ethnicity: Swedish-Hungarian Author’s residence: Stockholm, Sweden Illustrator’s ethnicity: Swedish Illustrator’s residence: Stockholm, Sweden Awards: 2022 USBBY Outstanding International Books List Subjects: Concentration camps, Dogs, Germany, Adolf Hitler, Holocaust, Jews |
War
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Title: War Author: Jose Jorge Letria Illustrator: Andre Letria Publisher: Greystone Kids. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Copyright: 2021 Original Language: Portuguese Translator: Elisa Amado Original Title: A Guerra Original Publisher: Pato Logico Edicoes. Lisbon, Portugal Original Copyright: 2018 ISBN: 978-1-77164-726-7 Hardcover pages: 64 Age range: 9 up Genre: Picture Book Author’s ethnicity: Portuguese Author’s residence: Lisbon, Portugal Illustrator’s ethnicity: Portuguese Illustrator’s residence: Lisbon Portugal Awards: Nami Concours 2018 (Grand Prix), White Raven 2018, 2022 USBBY Outstanding International Books List Subjects: Conflict, Value of peace, War |