The Conquerors

by David McKee

How can a country without an army conquer anyone? David McKee's profound story and delightful childlike pictures frame a quiet plea for peace. The ruling general of a dominant country conquered all his neighbors in order to rule as much as possible. This plan worked, until there was only one small jovial country left. When the soldiers went there to subjugate it, they were persuaded out of their uniforms, into the taverns, and onto the dance floors. However many times soldiers were sent home and replaced by new recruits, each one was suborned; and the returning military took back with them the traditions and music of the conquered nation. Just who has conquered whom?

Genres: Picture Books, Fiction, War, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

First published February 25, 2004

About the author

David McKee was a British writer and illustrator, chiefly of children's books and animations. He also used the pseudonym Violet Easton. He is frequently referenced as David (John) McKee. He has been commended for his gentle, playful but insightful stories.

For his contribution as a children's illustrator he was UK nominee for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2006.

Reviews

[Kate Donaldson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Falls short of its "anti-war" message; mostly because in the end, the general and his country still believe they've conquered the tiny country. At the end, the tiny country is, essentially, an autonomous region (see Chinese policies on minority regions and countries, e.g. Tibet and Urumqi). Not entirely sure what the moral of this story is - just because the tiny country didn't fight back doesn't mean they "won" - the big country's soldiers got assimilated into the local population (which is what China has done in Lhasa, where more than 50% of the population is now Han Chinese). The small bits of culture from the tiny country that have seeped into the big country don't really make up for the fact that the big country still conquered them.

Very weird kids book, must say.

[Neda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, they say you cannot talk about peace unless you talk about war! Well, that's the case! McKee talks about a tiny country with no military so they cannot fight the general. Instead, they invite the soldiers to their homes and play games with them and cook their ethnic food.
The interesting thing about this book, in my opinion, is that the general never changes, I wish he had! The soldiers change, so does the reader, but the general remains as he had been; he likes wars and conquering people's territory. When everything is the general's country is substituted little by little, by those of the tiny country, then who's the real conqueror? But the general takes himself as the conqueror!

[معصومه توکلی · Rating 5 out of 5]

عنوان ترجمه فارسی: پیروزمندان

[Guilherme Semionato · Rating 4 out of 5]

RIP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6hGw...

[Jonathan Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Conquerors
By David McKee
This is a wonderful parable that tells of a mighty country that believed their way of life was the best. They set about conquering all the other countries until there was just one small country left. The small country offered no resistance to their attack and welcomed them into their homes. Bit by bit the small country’s culture and customs are adopted by their invaders.
This is a book that would be best read aloud to a class and would make a brilliant stimulus for a philosophy for children lesson. It is simply written and yet rich with ideas and principals that reflect some of the growing dilemmas of our time.
I think this book would be well received by both key stage 1 and 2 children, as the questions that arise from reading it are huge and can be tackled at any level. I loved this story and I can’t recommend it enough. I can’t wait to use this with a class and look forward to reading more of David McKee’s work.

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not sure what I expected from this book -- humor, maybe, judging by the cover -- but this book doesn't deliver anything.

I guess it is supposed to be an anti-war message, but it's not even that. Just because a small country doesn't fight a larger country back doesn't mean that the smaller county has won -- usually it just means that country has been subsumed.

[فاطمه محمدی · Rating 3 out of 5]

به نظر من نوشتن یک داستان صلح‌جو، خیلی کار دشواریه. مخصوصن اگر این داستان برای بچه‌ها باشه. چون شاید توضیح دلایل علت‌های شروع یک جنگ، بدون جانبداری، برای بچه‌ها سخت باشه. این کتاب جانبداری نداشت اما حس می‌کنم پلاتش هنوز روشن نبود. لازم نیست که دلایل منطقی باشن اما حداقل در جهان داستان بگنجن.

[Just a Girl Fighting Censorship · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fascinating children's book. The overall concept is very thought provoking. The General's army has conquered everyone except for one place. When his armies arrive the natives don't put up a fight and they are taken in by the people and culture and bring it back with them. The soldiers that are left behind are absorbed into society. So who really conquered who? It reminded me of how American culture and ideas is what really led to the fall of the Berlin wall, not politics or military might.

The illustrations aren't for me, which is really the only thing stopping me from saying this is perfect (5 stars).

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

If your child likes war stories, this tale by David McKee could be just the thing.

On that basis I'll give it FIVE STARS.

Yet I would recommend discernment. Before deciding to read this book, know your child and know if your child likes war stories.

For some, this book would be just another adventure. But for some thoughtful children, the idea of war is terrifying. Is the payoff of a happy ending good enough for your choice to introduce one of the ugliest things that ever happens in this world, war and conquerors and all the losers?

[Raquel Pilar · Rating 5 out of 5]

O General de um grande país decide conquistar diversos países com seu forte exército com sucesso. No entanto, há um único pequeno lugar que ele ainda o fez, nunca se deu ao trabalho. Quando o General decide conquistá-lo então, as coisas não saem exatamente como as outras experiências.
Essa é uma história que provoca o leitor de uma forma muito interessante! Quem vence, quem ganha? O que é esse sentimento de vitória, as reações do povo perante uma guerra, enfim... Cheio de possibilidades de discussão!

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A children's picture book to challenge your thinking. The soldiers think they were conquering a new country, but in reality, they were being assimilated into the culture and daily life.

[Ümit Mutlu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent folk tale!

[Caterina · Rating 3 out of 5]

La guerra è bella solo quando non la si fa. Anzi, nemmeno in quel caso.

[George Kasnic · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book recommended by my school librarian. Planning on having the students use it to reflect on cultural diffusion, conflict, and cooperation.

[Scott Houston · Rating 3 out of 5]

This semester I was very surprised to see how competitive my first and third graders were, and how often they would say they were not friends with one another. This is a fun book I would like to read with students, because the characters use kindness to defeat an army that has conquered the entire world. A general and his army have conquered the entire map except for The small country too tiny to have its own army. The new country welcomes them into their homes, and bit by bit the small country’s culture and customs are adopted by the invaders. I would recommend this book to students who are aggressive to their classmates.

[Schahin · Rating 5 out of 5]

بعضی وقتها واقعا تعجب میکنم که چطوری یک نویسنده مفهوم خیلی مهم و پیچیده ای رو اینقدر ساده بیان می‌کنه. توی این کتاب حتی تصویرگر هم اینطوری عمل کرده و از هرگونه پیچیدگی پرهیز کرده.
داستان یک کشور بزرگ که یک ارتش بزرگ داره و یک توپ جنگی. فکر میکنند از همه جای دنیا بهتر زندگی میکنن و بقیه هم باید مثل اونها بشن. همه کشورهای دنیا رو فتح میکنن به جز یکی. و اون کشور کوچک ترین کشوری هست که باقیمانده. اونها نه تنها مقاومت نمیکنن بلکه با روش دیگری به حمله اونها جواب میدن‌. سوال آخر کتاب اینه که کدومشون واقعا فاتح اند؟
داستانی بسیار عالی نوشته شده با اشاره های ظریفی به سیاست های مدرن و مهاجرت و جنگ و‌.‌..

[sarafem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story about the futility of war. The army of a rich country invades its neighbors one by one - except for one country, that is so small that the general can't be bothered with it. Eventually they have conquered the entire world and made everyone just like them - except for this one tiny country. After some time passes, the army becomes bored and the general decides to finally conquer this one last country. The result would seem inevitable, but the tables get turned as a unified, happy small group of people proves that joy is infectious and victorious.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the message in this book, about personal boundaries and how power struggles are not an effective way to maintain your own personal power. That fighting back is likely a losing battle. There are some really good bullying messages here.

I love how the little country greets the intruder with love and acceptance, and doesn't change their way of doing things. They stand by what they know to be true and good, and instead assume that the conquerors are here to learn more about how they do things. Everybody wins.

[Kelli Ryne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is pretty self-explanatory. When students discuss empires, I would use this book to discuss various ways of "conquering" land and what is the most effective. They could use this to compare some of Alexander the Great's methods of inter-marriage in order to assimilate people into the empire as opposed to the Chinese method of conquering and keeping the people separate.

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little picture book that provokes much thought.... why do nations go to war? what do they gain? how do cultures merge? Also recalls this verse by Edwin Markham: “He drew a circle that shut me out-
Heretic , rebel, a thing to flout.
But love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle and took him In !

[Kyle Baldwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This brilliantly told story shows how an army is treated so kindly by the people of the land they invade, that they forget about conquering the land. A story of love, peace, and friendship. Good for a sense of community in the classroom.

[Carrie Gelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be wonderfully brilliant. Raises great questions. Conquering for what purpose? The point of war is . . . ? What if there is no resistance? Where does the passion to rule come from?

[Lindi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty clever anti-war message.

[Good Gu · Rating 5 out of 5]

The little country conquered the big country with peace.

[Nisah Haron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple illustration, a good story!

[Aslı Can]

Savaş üzerine çocuk kitabı yazmak zor bir iş olsa gerek ve bence yazar bu işin altında pek kalkamamış. Bir çocukla birlikte okunacaksa okuduktan sonra kitaptan ne anladığı üzerine konuşmak lazım bence.