Meet the Anzacs by Claire Saxby

Meet the Anzacs by Claire Saxby, illustrated by Max Berry (Random House, 2014)

ISBN 978 0 85798 192 9

32 pages with full page colour illustrations

Subjects: World War One, Australia, Egypt, Cairo, Turkey, Gallipoli, Anzac Cove, picture books (Year 5-8)

Synopsis

This is one of a series of books about “the extraordinary men and women who have shaped Australia’s history”; others to be met in the same series are Ned Kelly, Mary MacKillop and Captain Cook, with more titles coming soon.

The foreword says this is the story of how the Anzac legend began. Unlike many other books, this one finishes on 25 April 1915. It starts with the men going to sign up as war is declared, and I’m pleased that it includes a mention of the “NZ” part of ANZAC: “In New Zealand, men were doing the same.” The story doesn't focus on any particular soldiers; instead, much of it is told through snatches of talk and conversation as the men sail across the world to Egypt, visit the pyramids, play cricket in the sand, pack up and travel across the Mediterranean, finally landing at Gallipoli.

I like the cover, which is similar in some respects to the cover of Best mates (three young men with their arms around each other’s shoulders!) The books were both published at about the same time, so this is sheer serendipity or else a reflection of something important about the theme of both books. There is also a timeline at the end.

You can see some of the pictures if you click on the Free sample on this Random House page, or on the excellent YouTube clip about the book, which cleverly intersperses the artwork with original photographs taken during the war.  "A picture book is a bit like an ice berg", Claire says, "in that you have to have an understanding of all this material to then be able to write lightly across the top of it in the few words that you have available there."

Reviews:

This review on Aussie reviews calls it "a wonderful introduction to the soldiers who forged the ANZAC legend." 

The Teachers' resources include author and illustrator interviews, classroom activities and discussion questions.  

About the author

You can read about Claire Saxby on her website and her blog, Let's have words (great title) which has a blog post about the launch of Meet the Anzacs.

I like the bit in the About me section where she says: "Words have fascinated me as long as I can remember. I have always loved reading. I used to go home from boarding school and read for days on end, only emerging to swim and eat."

Another book in the same series, also by Claire Saxby, is Meet Weary Dunlop. 

About the illustrator

Max Berry’s website says he was born in 1987 in Katherine, NT, Australia; he did a Bachelor of Design in 2005-2009, and lives and works in Sydney. He’s won a string of prizes, including being a finalist in 2012 and 2014 in the Gallipoli Art Prize. I’d never heard of this before but it began in 2006, runs annually until 2015 and is administered by the Gallipoli Memorial Club (whom I’d never heard of before, either.)

Have you read it?

Have you read this book? Let me know what you think!

Flora's war by Pamela Rushby

Flora’s war by Pamela Rushby (Ford Street Publishing, 2013)

ISBN 978 1 921665 98 1

18 chapters; 243 pages

Subjects: World War One, Egypt, archaeology, nurses, young adult fiction (Year 8-11)

Synopsis

(From the back cover): "It’s 1915 and sixteen year old Australian, Flora Wentworth, is visiting Cairo with her archaeologist father. She watches with growing alarm as first a trickle and then a flood of wounded soldiers are shipped into the city from Gallipoli….As Flora battles to save lives and find her own, a tragic misunderstanding changes everything…"

Reviews:

There are two good reviews here and here. Both mention the way in which the author contrasts the hectic social life of Cairo in 1914 and even early 1915 with the changes that war brings.  

Author’s website

Pamela Rushby was born in Toowoomba, Queensland and now lives in Brisbane.

Other books you might like:

The horses didn’t come home, also by Pamela Rushby (January 2014) describes a visit to an archaeological dig. My review of that book on my blog includes info on the finding in 1922 of Tutankhamen.

Evan's Gallipoli by Kerry Greenwood (October 2013) is a book by another Australian author which has some parallels in the relationship between (vague) father and (confident) child.

Things I didn’t know

Pamela Rushby says in the Author’s note that she was carrying out some early research on WW1 nurses, but what really “grabbed her imagination” was “an entirely different story. Cairo’s story.” The city was “overwhelmed” with wounded soldiers  were sent back from Gallipoli and many hotels and public buildings were turned into hospitals or convalescent homes, with medical staff worked off their feet in trying conditions and volunteers helping as much as possible. 

She paints a convincing picture of the city and its streets and buildings, never letting us forget the history on its outskirts or the ever present heat and dust. I would love to visit the real-life inspiration for the House of the Butcher and Blacksmith (Flora’s home): the Gayer-Anderson Museum. (According to Lonely Planet, this was used as a location for the James Bond movie The spy who loved me!)

Links

Flora and her friend Gwen help out as volunteers at Lady Bellamy’s (very proper) rest and recreation centre, and also on the hospital wards. They make friends with the Australian nurses in Cairo (the first NZ nurses arrived after the 25 April landing at Gallipoli; they were at least in their mid-20s, so would have been quite a bit older than Flora and Gwen.) 

Some of Flora and Gwen's friends depart to work in hospitals on Lemnos or on the hospital ships, so we hear about their nursing work through letters or conversation.  Other actual events such as the riots in the Wozzer are also covered.

There are some amazing photos and stories in this AWM exhibition on the Great War nurses.

You can also read about the nurses' experience of Gallipoli from their letters. 

A page from the photograph album of my great-great-aunt, Louisa Bird, 
who was one of the first NZ nurses in Egypt.
On the photo in the middle, she has written "15th General Hospital".