One Minute's Silence

by David Metzenthen, Michael Camilleri (Illustrations)

A moving and powerful story about the meaning of Remembrance Day, drawing on the Australian and Turkish battle at Gallipoli

On the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I, David Metzenthen asks, "What is the true meaning of remembering?" This is a powerful and moving picture book for older readers about the "one minute's silence" observed in Australia on Remembrance Day, and what Gallipoli means to Australians in this context. By showing both sides of the conflict—Aussie and Turk—he encourages readers to think about all those who have fallen, and by using this iconic battle—one of the few to have brought two nations closer together—he suggests another perspective on Gallipoli. Michael Camilleri's extraordinary illustrations enhance the reader's experience.

Genres: Picture Books, War, History, Childrens, Read For School, Education

48 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2014

About the author

As a child, David Metzenthen was a nature boy; he loved fishing and farm work, exploring the bush, and being outdoors under the stars. He also lived very much inside his own head; feeling that the world was a place of unlimited adventure. He harboured dreams of becoming a cowboy, a fisherman, a farmer, a sailor, or a writer. Instead he left home at eighteen, with a copy of Jack Kerouac's On the Road for company, and hitch-hiked his way around New Zealand. Returning to Australia, David worked as a builder's labourer and advertising copy writer before finding success as a writer of books for children and young adults.

David Metzenthen now lives with his wife and two children in Melbourne and is one of Australia's top writers for young people. He has received many awards for excellence, including the 2000 CBCA Book of the Year Award: Older Readers for Stony Heart Country, a 2003 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Wildlight, and a 2003 Queensland Premier's Literary Award for Boys of Blood and Bone. In 2004, Boys of Blood and Bone also won a NSW Premier's Literary Award and was an Honour Book in the CBCA Book of the Year Awards: Older Readers. His novel Black Water was an Honour Book in the 2008 CBCA Book of the Year Awards: Older Readers, and Jarvis 24 won the CBCA Award for Book of the Year: Older Readers in 2010, as well as being shortlisted for the Prime Minister's Literary Award, WA Premier's Literary Award, Inky Awards and SA Festival Awards for Literature.

Reviews

[Bistra Ivanova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, such a beautiful picture book made to commemorate the soldiers in the ugly World War I. It starts in an Australian classroom nowadays and goes 100 years back in time as the boy is falling asleep for one minute. One minute of silence is terribly long time in the fights between Aussies and Turks. Dead as flies. Lying in the trenches. Longing home. Hoping to survive. Feeling pride. Knowing they have to win. It grips you. Sunning graphic work & highly recommended. Not your usual light picture book.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Minute’s Silence – David Metzenthen, Michael Camiller
The best children book on Gallipoli. Emphasises the humanity of everyone involved. Amazing, intelligent, informed, empathetic and original. *****

[Bluebelle-the-Inquisitive (Catherine) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author and Illustrator: David Metzenthen & Michael Cemilleri
Age Recommendation: Tween and up.
Art Style: Pen drawn
Topic/ Theme:Military education
Setting: Galipoli 1915

One Minute Silence asks the reader to put themselves in the shoes of the Turkish soldiers at the Battle of Long Pine. Contrasting the oft-told narrative of the ANZAC story from the battle with what their opponents must have felt and what they were fighting for. Asking people to remember both sides of the fight, both lots of needless loss, both grieving families. And reminding people that every side has two stories.

The presentation is clever. It says something about who the intended audience is. The soldiers aren't the fresh-faced boys you might expect, rather the students from a classroom on the opening pages. It is intelligent, and it really does invite the reader to put themselves in that position too, there is some diversity in those students enough that young people might be able to find a mirror. The pen lines are a dark presentation for a dark time, it just feels fitting.

I can not overstate the importance of this book to military history. and not just Australian and Turkish military history, all of it. This book should be required reading for all politicians and officers. Because the soldiers that fight each other aren't that different. They are required to fight to the death because orders. Because it's death either way if they don't. And a century on from the Battle of Long Pine I'm not sure much has changed we've all just got better at killing each other. I would love to see someone do something similar for this for other conflicts, the victors write the history books, maybe it's time we look at historical events from another perspective.

I will finish this review with the quote that adorns the ANZAC memorial at Gallipoli it also finishes One Minute Silence. "Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives. You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours. You, the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace, after having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well." - Mustafa Atatürk (though it is possibly misattributed, the jury is out)

[Rhondda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is hard to really describe this book. You need to read it/experience it. This is a beautifully presented picture book that takes an unusual path to look at WWI's Gallipoli campaign. It begins in a 21st century classroom with students depicted, in b&w drawings, as fairly unengaged. The minute's silence for remembering those who died in WWI (at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month) is about to begin.
The text then repeats, page after page, the words "in one minute's silence...." as it depicts, in b&w illustrations, and describes, in emotionally moving text, what happened at Gallipoli, from both perspectives. Using simple language, the reader is asked to think and imagine what the men at Gallipoli felt/thought/went through. The stories of courage and fear of the young men on both sides of the battle are seamlessly merged offering balance to the campaign that is very well-known in Australia.
The extract from Mustafa Ataturk's moving speech is a fitting end to the book.
A great deal of careful thought has made the text and images deceptively simple as fit they together to give the reader a powerful experience. David Metzenthen' and Michael Camilleri have created an amazing book for all ages.
There are teacher's notes for the book on the publisher's website: http://www.allenandunwin.com/default....

[Kerrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Minute's Silence.
One minute.
In war, a lot can change in one minute. One lives, or dies.
And in one minute's silence, a lot can be remembered.
This evocatively illustrated picture book starts in a classroom, filled with apathetic-at-best students, seemingly wondering why they must observe a minute's silence. The beautifully written story of the landing at Anzac Cove; the Gallipoli legacy; the death, destruction and eventual retreat places the students in the thick of the action, in the trenches, about to go over the top. But most powerful of all, is the elicitation of realisation that the ANZACs and the Turks, boys and men on both sides, were really not that different at all. Under better circumstances, they would have been mates. This book vividly remembers and honours both sides of the battle, the brothers in arms who lived and died on foreign or on home land.

Goosebumps. Every time.
Ages - up to 100.

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very powerful picture fiction... rather dark though. A great reflection on what we think about during a minutes' silence.

[Mrs Tobins Class · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been reading this amazing book and I think it is very cool. I really like the facts on how the Anzac’s retreated and how smart they were. I loved how it told two stories at ones. Such as the kids minds as well as what happens in the WW2. I am amazed and breath taken by the illustrations to. I read this book fore times so that also tells you how much I like this book I do totally get how people think that this book is sort of inappropriate for a kids book so that is why I am going to rate this book five stars but 8+

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

*uni read

the hand-illustrated pictures are really cool.

the descriptions are kinda gruesome so that was a little crazy to see in a kids book

fist non-fiction children's books i've read which was pretty cool

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful and stunningly illustrated book to make the reader think. I love the connection between the classroom and the battlefield, and the way it gets us to think about different points of view. A book for studying closely, rather than being read aloud.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very thought provoking.

[Clive Parkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

[Forrest · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really interesting read!
I had to read it for university and I enjoyed it a lot

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for uni

[Sean Harding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Metzenthen Zens #1
Beautifully written and illustrated reflection behind remembrance day, is a book that should be read about every time 11.11. comes around.
Recommended for all.

[Marj Osborne · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is an excellent picture book which we will use to complement the study of 'Gallipoli'. It challenges the 'myth' of Gallipoli, replacing it with a clearer picture of the realities of war. With lyrical text, sepia illustrations and map overviews, it's a bleak but important portrayal of both sides of this battle. Two new contexts are given to the Gallipoli story: that of bored, disengaged students during a minute's silence at school, and that of ordinary Turks who see the battle ships coming to conquer their land and fight for their lives and for their city (Constantinople/Istanbul which, due to its position straddling both Europe and the Middle East, has been defended throughout history in battle after battle but has never been conquered).

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful and moving picture book for older readers to encourage us to think about both sides of a conflict. Yes there have been many, many recent books (too many? I'm not sure yet) about war, and particularly the first world war given the 100th anniversary. One Minute's Silence is a valuable edition to our shelves.

http://astrongbeliefinwicker.blogspot...

[Rania T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aimed at students in Years 9 and 10, this picture book makes a subtle impact on the futility of war. Its pages of stark black and white illustrations and limited text allows the reader to ponder on the notion, "what if they themselves had been one of those fighting on the front line?." It also allows readers to empathise with 'the enemy' and how war affects everybody regardless of age, class, ethnicity or gender.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

One Minute's Silence -David Metzenthen Illus. Michael Camilleri
Stunning illustrations by Michael Camilleri, with each word chosen as a polished jewel by Metzenthen. The reality of young men, about the age of our Year 12 students, walking into World War 1 at Gallipoli. 'In one minute's silence, you can imagine the great crop of crosses the Anzacs left behind...and the promises given to never forget the boys who would not wake to the hushed footsteps or the whispered farewells.'

[Malvina · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who think the whole concept of one minute's silence is boring: the book imagines in simple language and illustrations what Gallipoli must have been like, from the Aussie/NZ side as well as for the Turks. A powerful message.

[Nella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remembrance Day - a contemporary class of students sits through one minute's silence remembering both sides who fought at Gallipoli. Profoundly moving

[Yvonne Boag · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what a powerful read.

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!

[Sonja · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hard to follow and what does distinguish it from all the plethora of world war one and Gallipoli books currently exploding onto our shelves?

[Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't even finish this... Antagonistic picture book un-subtly trying to provoke emotion in readers. Repetitive phrasing that 'cute-sied' the serious topic.

[Samrat Mallick · Rating 5 out of 5]

the book give me the feeling of death....how we human fell the something when someone expire or our loving ones