Please Write Soon: An Unforgettable Story of Two Cousins in World War II

by Michael Rosen

  Beginning in 1939, young Solly in London exchanges letters with his teenaged cousin, Bernie, in Poland . While Solly is evacuated and tries his best to adjust to life in the English countryside, Bernie's parents know that as Jews they're not safe staying in Warsaw, so they send Bernie to the Russian-occupied side of the country in the hope that he'll be safer there. Soon, though, he is arrested and sent off to a forced labour camp in Russia. As the cousins exchange sporadic letters, they try to keep their spirits up, trading jokes and observations about the world changing all around them. Then Bernie seizes the opportunity to join the "Anders Army" and fight the Axis powers, and tells Solly all about his experiences in Iraq and eventually Italy, where he fights alongside the British at the famous Battle of Monte Cassino . Does Bernie survive and find a safe place to call home?  

Genres: War, Childrens

74 pages, Paperback

First published April 7, 2022

About the author

Michael Rosen, a recent British Children’s Laureate, has written many acclaimed books for children, including WE'RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, and I’M NUMBER ONE and THIS IS OUR HOUSE, both illustrated by Bob Graham. Michael Rosen lives in London.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Wendy Bamber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful browsing book for 8-12 year olds and beyond, interesting true details to be researched, or not. Readers interested in war looking for a short escape from the longer novel will enjoy this.

[Samantha Pope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many books have been written for children about World War II so there is no lack of materials yet this book still feels fresh and important. Told as an epistolary story within another story, it relates many points of history between the start and end of World War II, as experienced between Solly, in England, and his Polish cousin Bernie, who was sent away from his parents to protect him but ended up serving in the army and fighting in the war. Both sets of letters inform the reader of what it was like to grow up in war time - the terribly young being made to fight or work in Poland and beyond, and being trapped between German and Russian armies, and the evacuees of Britain, sent away from their parents in London to relative safety in the countryside. Solly was amongst the luckiest in that he had an enjoyable experience on a farm in Herefordshire, but we know from other books that this was not always the case. We also discover how London was badly damaged, and civilians killed, from the relentless bombing by the Germans, and how life was so different to how children experience it nowadays.

Michael Rosen is a wonderful writer, and while these letters are written in the voice of young boys, they never feel immature - and that is a great skill in itself (there can be a tendency amongst writers who are adopting a young voice for the tone to unintentionally sound like it is talking down to its audience). There is also a smattering of Yiddish words in the text to reflect the Jewish background of the boys - and these are of interest from a linguistic viewpoint. All of this is complemented by Michael Foreman's beautifully understated but emotionally powerful illustrations- predominantly monochrome but with carefully planned colour.

This is an important book for children and adults to read, especially as we face the reality of another war in Europe and the consequences that this is bringing to people like Bernie, who are forced to flee for their safety and their lives.

[Emma Goldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of two children in World War 2. A Jewish boy, Solly, in London and his older cousin Bernie, in Poland. Solly is evacuated and learns with some astonishment how to milk a cow, and what life on a farm is like. Bernie is far less fortunate. His parents send him to relatives in East Poland to be safe from the Nazis, but he is stopped by the Russians and sent to a work camp instead. Things change when Russia renounces their pact with Hitler, and join the war to oppose the Germans. Bernie becomes a soldier, travelling into Persia and Italy, experiencing the bitter fight for Monte Cassino ( of interest to me, as my father also fought there).
The war finally ends with Solly back home in London, and eventually cousin Bernie, his parents "disappeared" into the death camps, arrives to join his aunt and Solly.
The letters between the cousins shows the heartache, the danger, the lack of news and accurate information, and how rapidly boys become young men when conscripted to fight.
A moving way of telling history.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous. Paired with Michael Foreman's illustrations, Please Write Soon is an absolutely beautiful book that will move the hearts and minds of readers, both young and old alike, set during the perils of World War II and told through letters of two cousins; Solly, a young English evacuee, and his teenaged cousin, Bernie, who must flee Poland to escape the Nazis, leaving his parents behind who he may, or may not, ever see again.

I wanted to read this book slowly because it was so heartbreaking yet fulfilling and inspiring, and when I finished it, I read it all over again.

[Krishna Datta · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a moving and simple story about terrible times

Michael Rosen is truly a national treasure. His words can make us laugh and they can reach deep into such inexplicable sadness. This story could be read by adults or older children, and should be read as widely as possible. He writes about the awfulness of war through the touching and funny memories of two cousins through the letters they exchanged during the war. Highly recommended.

[Ruth Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lest we forget

This book tells the poignant tale of two cousins, and their experiences of the Second World War. Through a series of letters we come to know their struggles and fears as well as the small glimpses of humour with which they cope with the dangers. Mixed in are very real “boy” thoughts on marbles and football. A must read!

[Pers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is painfully heart-breaking and yet uplifting, too. A small boy and his somewhat older cousin exchange letters during WW2. Both Solly and Bernie are Jewish, but Solly is in England and Bernie is in Poland. Michael Forman's illustrations lighten the tale without ever making light of it.

[Glynn Hayball · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poignant and charming

Excellent storytelling by the Master, Michael Rosin. A short story about love, life and loss and the impact of world events as seen through the eyes of a child.

[Gail Wylde · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect read for Anzac Day while I’m on holiday in Australia.

[Tina]

Review will be published in Magpies magazine.

[Elvis Gregory-sayce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning
Must Read

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written & illustrated

[debbie-anne Hogarth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was moved to tears.. so powerfully written.

[Emma Dargue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an incredibly moving story about two boys - Solly and Bernie who have very different experiences when growing up in the years before, during and after World War 2. Bernie, who is Polish highlights what it was like living through the nazis invasion of Poland which eventually lead to the ghettos and holocaust but not before Bernie has to leave his parents behind to uncertain fates. He then is in a Russian work camp and then transferred to the allied Army and sees action in various places around the world. Meanwhile Solly is faced with evacuation, death and destruction in London. The story is told in a number of letters between Solly and Bernie sometimes with lots of time between letters. The letters are accompanied by stunning pencil drawings of the events captured in the letters.