El Pequeno Soldado

by Paul Verrept

- A story about the war for first readers.
- The personal experience of a soldier who leave to fight.
- A text about the consequences of the war for the persons.
- With this picture book, children and adults could discuss about the need for peace.

20 pages, Hardcover

First published March 7, 2003

About the author

Paul Verrept (1963) woont en werkt in Antwerpen. Hij is auteur, illustrator en grafisch ontwerper. Hij schreef en illustreerde meerdere boeken, waarvan Het meisje de jongen de rivier is bekroond met de Gouden Uil van de Jonge Lezer. In 2021 verscheen Brandingen dat op de shortlist stond van de Bronzen Uil 2022.

Reviews

[Anne Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this is a sad little book, I can see its value in helping children understand war and its consequences, including the emotional toll it takes on the soldiers. For me, the most poignant scene in the book is where the little soldier returns home and people are celebrating that the war was won. But he sees many people who are homeless and sad. One can imagine that perhaps this soldier is asking what good winning the war had done. He continues to live his life, recognizing that many of his friends died in the war, and doesn't talk about it but many times stays awake at night thinking about everything that happened.

I read these Spanish children's stories to help with my own attempts to learn Spanish, but this one taught me something else: the impact of war is universal and its effects on those who wage it identical, no matter where the war occurs nor who fights it. This is a valuable lesson for children, and can also help them understand why, if they have a parent who has fought, their parent doesn't want to talk about it.

[The Reading Bibliophile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Une introduction à la Grande Guerre pour de jeunes enfants, très bien.