Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Reading Time
    • Home
    • Reviews
      • Highly Recommended
      • CBCA Short Listed
      • Early Childhood Books
      • Younger Readers
      • Intermediate Readers
      • Older Readers
      • ANZAC books
      • Great Read Alouds
      • Information Books
      • LGBTQIA+
      • Picture Books
      • Professional Development
    • Interviews
    • Suggestions
    • News
    • Meet The Review Team
    • Contact Us
    Reading Time
    You are at:Home»Reviews»ANZAC Books»The Afghanistan Pup; My Mother’s Eyes: the story of an Australian boy soldier

    The Afghanistan Pup; My Mother’s Eyes: the story of an Australian boy soldier

    1
    By Admin on January 10, 2016 ANZAC Books, Highly Recommended, Information Books, Picture Books

    Afghanistan pup

    Mark Wilson, The Afghanistan Pup, Lothian/Hachette, March 2014, 32 pp., $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780734415325

    Mark Wilson, My Mother’s Eyes: the story of an Australian boy soldier, Lothian/Hachette, March 2011, 32 pp., $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 978034411914 (re-release)

    These two titles are part of the series, Children in War, which explores children’s experiences of, and reactions to, four different wars involving Australians. My Mother’s Eyes is a moving story of duty and sacrifice. A brave young boy looks after his family and the farm they love after his father dies in an accident. Then comes the First World War. Like so many young men at this time, William enlists at the age of sixteen to join the ‘great adventure’ and do his bit to end the war. The open ending allows the reader to ponder the tragedy of war and wonder if the boy returned.

    The main narrative of The Afghanistan Pup follows the life of a puppy abandoned at birth, then found and loved by a young Afghani girl called Kinah. After her school is destroyed, the injured pup once more faces death but is rescued by an Australian soldier who has arrived to help rebuild the school. The two bond, but the war intensifies and after some months of fighting, tragically the soldier is killed. When his friend does not come home, the little dog returns to the school and is reunited with Kinah.

    Mark Wilson does historical fiction so well. He skilfully weaves narratives that tell stories of tragedy and hope with his extraordinarily evocative illustrations. Snippets of newspaper clippings, reports, poems and letters enrich the stories and add layers of meaning. His artful use of colour, line and texture capture the action and emotion of the moment and bring the reader into the story. Author notes at the back provide some facts that add extra depth.  His work is powerful and touching. I had to wipe a tear from my eye. So many Australians have been touched by war in some way. Readers will bring their own understandings and memories to these stories and the beauty of these multi-layered books is that they are accessible to all.

    Teacher Notes and Activities for The Afghanistan Pup are available on the Lamont Books website.

    Teacher’s Notes for My Mother’s Eyes are available on the Hachette website.

    Highly recommended.

    Reviewed by Sharon Seymour

    • Read John Cohen’s review of The Afghanistan Pup

    my mothers eyes

    Related Posts

    The Ghost Locket

    Enough Love?

    Wonderful Shoes

    1 Comment

    1. Schoolgirlin need! on August 22, 2016 3:31 pm

      what does the letter say, please tell me, am desperate.

      Reply

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    • Themes
    • Curriculum
    Action adventure Airplanes Alphabet Anxiety autism Bullying CBCA Awards Coming of age Dystopian emotions family fantasy friendship grief Historical humour magic Mystery Post apocalyptic Readers Cup reluctant readers school Sci-Fi series of books siblings Sport Starting school Teacher Notes
    ANZAC Australian animals Australian history Biography Culture & Diversity Disabilities First Nations Geography health Humanities mental health Poetry Reconciliation resilience Science STEM Stolen Generation sustainability Wordless books



    Recent Comments
    • Cherie on Elephant Island
    • Patricia Tilton on Freddy the Not-Teddy
    • Jilanne Hoffmann on Freddy the Not-Teddy
    • Penelope Pratley on The Secret of Sapling Green
    • Emily Flint on Walk of the Whales
    Recent Posts
    • The Bravest Word
    • The Ghost Locket
    • The Ghost Locket
    • Enough Love?
    • Wonderful Shoes
    Recent Comments
    • Cherie on Elephant Island
    • Patricia Tilton on Freddy the Not-Teddy
    • Jilanne Hoffmann on Freddy the Not-Teddy
    • Penelope Pratley on The Secret of Sapling Green
    • Emily Flint on Walk of the Whales
    © Copyright 2021 The Children’s Book Council of Australia - All rights reserved

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Posting....