The Red Poppy (2012) – David Hill – Illustrated by Fifi Colston – pub. Creative New Zealand
Imagine
Thousands of soldiers
Marching through the night to their trenches
In the dark
So the Germans can’t see them
Imagine
Ted a stretcher bearer
And
His friend Matiu
And the messenger dog
Nipper
– like a puppy.
(Soldiers found him in a ruined village.
Soldiers could write messages and tuck them in his little leather bag.)
Imagine
Jim
Wounded
And a German
Wounded
Finding a special connection
With the help of
A little dog
And a field of
Poppies
Imagine finding a book
That takes moments to read
But lingers
A lifetime
The Red Poppy by David HillMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
A story set in World War I, where the public enemy is not always the private enemy; where red poppies are not always a symbol of death.
And a little dog knows.
Could the ravages of war possibly hold some beautiful moments?
The illustrations by Fifi Colston are a delight!
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8 comments:
Interesting review and premise ~
Thanks for sharing ~
I look forward to your poetic reviews, Gemma. This promises to be an interesting angle on war-time relationships.
I've often thought about the animals during the 1st world war that were used. The poor horses, and yes, the dogs. Yes, nice review
I really enjoy how you do your reviews and impressions with poetry. It is wonderful to see how literature inspires literature - but then, perhaps that's always been so.
I can imagine it all. And red poppies are beautiful. Thanks Gemma.
Oh this is so touching. The face on that little dog. I hate the thought of dogs in the middle of war - humans, too, for that matter, but the animals have no choice. What an interesting story, thanks for posting....
Best book review I have read in a very long time! Art describing art. Ideal!
Great concept...I typically hate reviews...this, I enjoy.
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