2018 School Spending Survey Report
Shooting at the Stars: The Christmas Truce of 1914
illus. by John Hendrix. 40p. bibliog. glossary. index. Abrams. Oct. 2014. Tr $18.95. ISBN 9781419711756. LC 2013029535.
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Gr 3–5—A two-page explanation of the Christmas Day truce of 1914 precedes the fictionalized account of this unusual occasion. In a letter to his mother, a young English soldier describes the events of that unique day when, at the invitation of a German officer, the English Doughboys left their trenches and met their enemies in No Man's Land. The young man describes how they helped one another bury the dead; traded personal items such as hats, buttons, and buckles; shared their rations, and played football (soccer) with a biscuit tin. The day ends with the soldiers returning to their respective trenches. An angry English major soon appears on the scene, accusing his troops of being traitors. The book's title comes from the narrator's knowledge that his side will soon be ordered to fire on their new friends, but he figures that they will be shooting upward at the stars, rather than across at the Germans. The illustrations, in graphite, fluid acrylic washes, and gouache in dark blues, greens, oranges, and yellows are a perfect fit for the narrative. Most of the text appears in a typical serif font, but parts appear as a hand-printed letter. The title concludes with a well-written author's note. Few titles at this level convey the futility of World War I as well as this one does. A first choice.—Eldon Younce, Anthony Public Library, KSHendrix distills the now practically mythic story of the 1914 Christmas Truce into the fictional experience of one English soldier in France writing to his mother about an unlikely day of fellowship with his German adversaries. While not shying away from war's grim realities, Hendrix's pictures go a long way toward conveying hope. A brief introduction and author's note provide context. Bib., glos., ind.
Hendrix distills the now practically mythic story of the 1914 Christmas Truce into the fictional experience of one young English soldier writing to his mother from a trench in France. A brief introduction and an appended author's note provide context, but the focus here is very much on young Charlie and his unlikely day of fellowship with his German adversaries: "Mother, it was such a beautiful day." Hendrix's Charlie is a ruddy-cheeked Everyboy who provides a sympathetic focus for the paintings of a desolate landscape of mud and barbed wire; while not shying away from war's grim realities, the pictures go a long way toward conveying the hopeful light of Christmas, with trees twinkling in the night while the strains of "Stille Nacht" waft across No Man's Land toward our homesick hero. roger sutton
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