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Christmas in the Trenches by John McCutcheon |
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Awards |
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CHILDREN'S FICTION | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Description/Notes |
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A World War I veteran tells his grandson of his experiences in 1914, when British and German soldiers declared a truce from fighting to celebrate Christmas together. IT IS COLD AND CLEAR on Christmas Eve night in 1914. Francis Tolliver and his fellow British soldiers are holed up in muddy trenches along the Western Front. Their enemies--German soldiers--lie in wait just across a field known as 'No Man's Land.' Suddenly a strange sound pierces the darkness. Someone is singing a Christmas carol in German. Other German voices join in. When the song ends, Thomas and the other British soldiers sing 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.' Soon carols are sung back and forth across No Man's Land. Then a figure emerges in the dark, carrying a small Christmas tree with lighted candles. Slowly the British and German soldiers leave their trenches, and the war, behind to stand together in the open field. Christmas in the Trenchesis based on a song McCutcheon wrote back in 1983. In his author's note at the end of the volume he relates how that song came to be created: I first heard about the 1914 Christmas truce from a backstage janitor in a Birmingham Alabama Concert Hall. I was so taken with this woman's story I wrote the entire song 'Christmas in the Trenches' during the intermission of my concert that night. Henri S?rensen's formal, full-color oil paintings reinforce the emotional power and dignity of the story. The result is a timeless tale that will capture the imagination of readers of all ages. 'In simple, evocative prose, the narrator tells of that long ago Christmas Eve when German and British soldiers put down their guns, climbed out of their trenches and, for a few short hours, laughed, exchanged gifts and played soccer between the lines on No-Man's Land. The story of this unofficial truce is deeply touching. Perhaps, as McCutcheon suggests, because it illustrates powerful themes, such as (in the words of the song) 'On each end of the rifle we're the same' - or that true bravery is being human in the midst of an inhumane situation. 'Warm, softly realistic paintings done by Henri Sorenson, an award-winning Danish children's book illustrator, evoke the mood and setting of the story perfectly. In his drawings of the faces of the soldiers, Sorenson does a particularly fine job of depicting the emotions that must have gripped the participants during this miraculous break in the violence. 'Christmas in the Trenches, with its accompanying CD, would make an excellent addition to the library's special collection for use on Remembrance Day. Taking into account the art, the story and the music-all for $24.95-it is a not-to-be-missed treasure.' -- CM Magazine 'If your child has ever wondered just what is so miraculous about Christmas, read together Christmas in the Trenches. . . Can there be anything more miraculous than that legendary Christmas truce?' -- The Chronicle Herald (Halifax) |
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