Nesthaekchen and the World War by Else Ury
Posted in Reviews on July 9th, 2009 by ethanlap | Permalink |
Tags: Germany, introducing children to war, World War I, WW I
Nesthaekchen and the World War by Else Ury
-Great WWI novel that is a gentle but honest introduction to war. It is told from the perspective of a young German girl in Germany who starts out rather spoiled. As the story unfolds through her eyes, she experiences home life as a member of a war torn family. The story develops great depth as a situation arises which puts the reader in the position of loving the character but hating something she’s doing. Resolving this in the story is part of what makes this book so worthwhile.
This would be a good introduction to the idea that war is not fun and does involve death without going into the actual horrors of war. I also think the book gives some beginnings of insight into the question of why Germany played the role it did later in WWII. With all this depth, it is still truly a children’s book! I read the book to my two oldest when they were 8 and 10. They both loved it.