Walker Books ISBN 9781406377101 £8.99
What a delightful book. This is the story of 5-year-old Rosalie and her struggle to learn to read. More importantly, it is a story of how war, in this case World War One, impacts on the lives of those left behind – at school, at work, and as mothers. Rosalie’s mother tries to protect her both from the realities of war and her father’s death by pretending to read her father’s letters, but in reality inventing jolly episodes and talking about going fishing and swimming when he returns. In the end, sitting quietly at the back of the classroom, being child-minded by the one-armed schoolteacher, she teaches herself to read and discovers the truth. The illustrations are beautiful and, combined with the text, make this a story that KS2 children will love to read.
Alf Wilkinson, The Historical Association