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December 5, 2014 by Travis Jonker

Review: Shooting at the Stars by John Hendrix

December 5, 2014 by Travis Jonker   5 comments

Shooting at the Stars: the Christmas Truce of 1914
By John Hendrix

ABRAMS

ISBN: 9781419711756
$18.95
Grades 3-7
Out Now

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Schuler Books | Your Library

Wise are those who understand that picture books don’t just belong in the grips of the rug rats of the world. Wise, then, is John Hendrix. With Shooting at the Stars, the author/illustrator has created a picture book for the upper elementary crowd that reveals a I-wouldn’t-believe-it-if-it-wasn’t-true moment of peace amid the brutality and chaos of war.

Dearest Mother,

Thank you so much for your last letter. Your words are a rare comfort in my cold trench.

1914. France. World War I. A young British soldier (Charlie), sitting in a trench a mere 30 paces from the enemy, writes home to mom. Through his correspondence, Charlie brings his world into view – cold, dangerous, and often miserable. One night the soldiers hear something unexpected from the German line: singing. In a matter of days, an unexpected truce was forged. On Christmas morning, soldiers on both sides stepped out of their trenches to greet each other, bury their dead, and share in a brief moment of humanity.

One thing that a picture book can do that a chapter book (like, say Jim Murphy’s Truce on this same topic) can’t do is show. The illustration of the German and American trenches, separated by a mere 30 paces does more to explain the bravery (and insanity) of trench warfare than words can describe.

While this is a fictionalized telling of a real event, Hendrix clearly took a lot of care in getting things right. This is one of the few picture books you will find with a prologue. It makes a lot of sense. The Christmas Truce is an event that requires context. Jumping right into the story with no introduction would have been jarring. It also would have lessened the overall emotional impact of the truce itself. The tail end of the book is a back matter-palooza, including an author’s note, glossary, bibliography, and index (another picture book rarity).

I would imagine it would pose quite a challenge to illustrate a book that takes place in muddy trenches. While some artists might have said “Back it up!” to a semi full of brown paint, Hendrix manages to largely avoid the color, opting instead for oranges, greens, reds, and blues. Paired with crisp linework, the result are appealing while still conveying the gravity of the situation.

Hand this to kids who like reading about the World Wars. Hand it to teachers who are covering the topic with students (including those reading Jim Murphy’s Truce). It’s a unique take on a remarkable event.

Review copy from the publisher.

Filed under: Nonfiction, Reviews

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About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

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Comments

  1. Barb Outside Boston says

    December 5, 2014 at 6:40 pm

    There is one line at the beginning that jumped out at me:
    “Although these soldiers were at war and spoke different languages, the English, French, and German shared much–songs, faith, and a deep love of Christmas.” p. 3
    Did they ALL share a deep love of Christmas? There were only Christians there? Or had Christmas become secular there? I really don’t know and would love more info about this.

  2. Kay Weisman says

    December 5, 2014 at 11:20 pm

    There’s an earlier picture book that covers this same territory–and very well. It’s J. Patrick Lewis’s And the Soldiers Sang, Creative Editions, 2011, illustrated by Gary Kelley. It’s worth a look if you can find a copy.

    • Travis Jonker says

      December 6, 2014 at 3:49 pm

      I wasn’t aware of this one, Kay – thank you!

  3. Rebecca Jones says

    December 7, 2014 at 6:26 am

    Love your blog, Travis. Any possibility of setting up an XML feed link?

  4. marjorie says

    December 10, 2014 at 3:09 pm

    I too was really impressed with this book. But Barb Outside Boston’s question should have occurred to me and didn’t! There were of course Jewish soldiers in the trenches — some of the greatest British trench poets of WWI were Jews. Were there Jews in THIS trench? I don’t know. But yeah, probably not ALL the soldiers there shared a deep love of Christmas.

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