My grandfather’s war by Glyn Harper, illustrated by Jenny Cooper

My grandfather’s war by Glyn Harper, illustrated by Jenny Cooper (EK Books, 2018)

32 pages with full page colour illustrations (hardback edition)

Subjects: Vietnam, grandparents, veterans, picture books (Year 3-4)

Synopsis

My Grandfather’s War tells the story of 8-year-old Sarah and her grandfather Robert, who lives with her family and looks after her before and after school. The pair have a close relationship and Sarah is sensitive to her grandfather’s occasional spells of sadness. The family doesn’t talk about these, except to tell Sarah that he is thinking about a war in a place called Vietnam.

When Sarah summons up her courage to ask her grandfather why he feels sad, he tells her about his time in Vietnam. The flashbacks of his memory present images of a war which was “not like other wars” and he also tells Sarah about the difficulties the troops faced when they returned home, from anti-war protesters and the after-effects of chemicals.

This is a reworked version of an earlier book, now with the added magic of Glyn Harper’s collaboration with Jenny Cooper, whose illustrations show the warm bond between grandfather and grandchild. 

Another thing I really liked about this book is how it models (to both children and adults) how to handle difficult conversations. Sarah is nervous about asking her question but summons up the courage to do so because she loves her grandfather. She tells him that she’s scared and he acknowledges that with a serious, concerned expression (that picture is one of my favourites). Her grandfather doesn’t fob her off and answers carefully but truthfully. The conversation doesn’t make his sadness go away but now Sarah understands it better.

Reviews

Kids book reviews calls it "the perfect mix of narrative and history" and "a gentle educational tool, highly recommended" for classrooms. 

Teacher notes are available here and include some thoughtful comments from Jenny about how she approaches the subject of war as an illustrator.

Author’s website

Glyn Harper is Professor of War Studies at Massey University in Palmerston North, New Zealand. He is Massey's Project Manager of the Centenary History of New Zealand and the First World War. A former teacher, he joined the Australian Army in 1988 and after eight years transferred to the New Zealand Army, where he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Glyn was the army's official historian for the deployment to East Timor and is the author of numerous history books. (From the Penguin website)

Info about the illustrator

Jenny Cooper is a wonderful artist who has illustrated more than 70 children’s books. Read more about her on the Book Council site or Christchurch City libraries or Storylines.

Other books you might like

This is the sixth book that Glyn Harper and Jenny Cooper have worked on together. Their previous titles are Roly the Anzac donkey, Jim’s letters, Le Quesnoy: the story of the town New Zealand saved, Gladys goes to war and Bobby the littlest war hero.

There aren’t many books for young readers about Vietnam. Memorial by Gary Crew and Lest we forget by Feana Tu’akoi both touch on it. Other books are Vietnam diary by Mark Wilson and I was only nineteen by John Schumann.

Books about the grandfather-grandchild relationship include Grandad’s medals by Tracy Duncan.

Have you read it?

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

Roly the Anzac donkey by Glyn Harper, illustrated by Jenny Cooper

Roly the Anzac donkey by Glyn Harper, illustrated by Jenny Cooper (Puffin, 2015)

ISBN 978-0-14-350663-8

32 pages with Jenny Cooper’s beautiful colour illustrations

Subjects: World War One, Gallipoli, animals, donkeys, Richard Henderson, picture books (Year 2-6)

Synopsis

This is a retelling of Glyn Harper’s 2008 book, The Donkey Man (illustrated by Bruce Potter), which describes the war experience through the eyes of Roly the donkey. This version is bigger than the original and has new artwork by children's illustrator Jenny Cooper. It includes two maps (of the Aegean region and the Gallipoli peninsula) and notes on the Gallipoli campaign and the donkey man himself. A lot of people would assume this to be Simpson, but Glyn Harper tells the story of a New Zealander, Richard Alexander Henderson.

It’s interesting to see how the text has been pared back in the updated version. The main story is still there, but a lot of the background detail has been taken out. I think The donkey man still has value as a text with more detailed information, for older children, but this version makes for a stronger picture book.

About the author

Glyn Harper is professor of war studies at Massey University and the uni website has an interview with him here. There a lovely article about the book launch here.

About the illustrator

You can read about Jenny Cooper and her work on the NZ Book Council and Christchurch City Council websites.  

I liked this comment: "Funnily enough, I don’t particularly like seeing my books after they are printed, because there are so many things I would improve or change. But I keep thinking that the NEXT book will be better."

Other books you might like:

Glyn Harper has also written Le Quesnoy and Jim’s letters, both illustrated by Jenny Cooper. 

Links

You can read more about Private Richard Henderson, New Zealand's own "donkey man" at Gallipoli, here on the RSA site. 

Find out about the true story behind the famous painting of Simpson and the donkey. Moore-Jones painted six versions of this painting and the last one in private hands sold recently for $220,000.

Have you read it?

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