In Flanders Fields

This week I read a picture book called ‘In Flanders Fields’, written by Norman Jorgensen and illustrated by Brian Harrison-Lever. I found that I was initially drawn to the book because of Harrison-Lever’s beautiful and detailed illustrations. When I opened the book to read it, I was not disappointed by the text.

The story (which shares its title with the famous poem by John McCrae), takes place at Christmas time in the trenches of World War I. Jorgensen tells of a young soldier who risks his life to free an injured bird from some barbed wire on the battlefield. The text takes on a simple tone, describing the setting and events with a quiet honesty. I liked this style of writing as I found that it emphasised the humanity of the soldier’s act (by describing the scene simply and somewhat bluntly-Jorgenson gives a sense of the bleak reality of war, and subsequently emphasises the soldier’s bravery). I also thought that the simple style of writing gave the book a respectful feel – not going into too much graphic detail, however- not ‘glossing over’ the  harshness of the subject matter either.

I would definitely use this book in the classroom; however I’m not sure what year level I would introduce it at. While my initial instincts told me to avoid showing this book to very young children, I do not believe in “cushioning” students too much. I remember learning about Remembrance Day quite early on in my schooling and I do not think that reading this book could do any real harm. That said; I think I would wait at least until students know a little background knowledge about war/soldiers etc. (I also believe that this would allow them to get the most out of the book). Additionally, I noticed that some of the illustrations include imagery that could be inappropriate for very young children (eg, a skeleton and some bodies of deceased soldiers are visible in the background of some drawings. The realistic style of these drawings may make them slightly too graphic for small children). My main concern with this book is that it could upset children who are not quite ready to be introduced to it (and I would hate for any book to become a negative experience for a child).

I would have no hesitation at all in reading this book to middle/upper primary students – it could even be used at a high school level, if students were to look closely at the themes in the story (eg. humanity, compassion, futility of war, etc). There is also a lot of symbolism evident in the writing and illustrations, which older students could analyse (eg. the red robin- which is almost the only example of colour in the illustrations, the white handkerchief used by the soldier to symbolise peace, the rifle which the soldier forgets to bring back from the battlefield, the barbed wire etc.).

I really loved reading this book. I think Jorgenson’s writing and Harrison-Lever’s illustrations come together beautifully, complimenting each other to create a poignant reminder of the futility of war, and the human capacity for both good and evil.