Dear Alison

by Simon Pollard (Editor)

In 1942 with a notebook and pencil he had bought from a German guard, Dudley Muff started Alison's Book. Dudley was a prisoner of war in Germany and his niece Alison was four and living in Timaru. With humorous entries, sketches and what he called little men his story grew until it became an account of his time served in two prisoner-of-war camps

72 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Pro-Vice-Chancellor and member of the University Executive, Simon leads Cranfield University’s international partnership activities and the School of Water, Energy and Environment. With significant strategic experience, his career spans senior appointments in academia, consulting and government. An environmental engineer and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Simon’s research on risk governance has been funded by the US Water Research Foundation, EPSRC, NERC, BBSRC and Defra.

Reviews

[Tiffany Rusbatch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in High School and it’s stuck with me all this time! I always wanted to read it again but could never remember the name of it and google didn’t help. But… here it is! 10/10 amazing read for all ages

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The drawings were very cute, and I enjoyed the stories. Nice to see something so lovely come out of something so traumatising. GO KIWIS!

[Amber Lovett Dhamija · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muff, Dudley and Simon Pollard (ed.). Dear Alison. 2009. 72 pp. Ages 10-15. 978-0-143304-609 Dudley Muff was librarian from New Zealand who fought in WWII, where he was captured by the Nazis and placed in a camp for prisoners of war. During his years in the camp, Dudley kept a diary for his niece Alison, full of stick figure illustrations, his “little men.” Dudley’s tells Alison of the war and his life in the camp with an incredible amount of humor, despite harsh living conditions and a frequent lack of provisions. The full text of his diary, which he called “Alison’s Book” is reprinted with an introduction and conclusion from Simon Pollard, Muff’s great-nephew. Some New Zealand idioms and metric expressions may be difficult for American students to comprehend. The diary is a good introduction to primary texts and gives valuable insight into the experience of living in a POW camp in WWII, however more supplemental material would have rendered the diary more useful as a historical document. Its humor will make it an enjoyable and easy read for students interested in WWII. Recommended. Ages 10-15.

[C Mijares · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you come across the book Dear Alison edited by Simon Pollard, get it! I have been emailing bookstores here and AU to my disappointment (Amazon and Book Depository even Kinokuniya in SG dont hold stock). It is one of the few books that will give you a bang for your buck, to be consumed by you and your child.

I have not read as much witty, children-sensored books illustrating the horrors, irony, forced hope and even born-out positivity during war time as this, in a long time. The text and illustrations were actually photocopied letters written by an NZ solidier to his 7yo neice during WWII (the book is now in a museum). And if only I dont respect copyright, i would have taken photos of every single one of the pages and shared the dear to you.

[Sophie Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I decided to read this book as I like reading about the war and this book also fits into the category of a dairy, autobiography or biography. It was interesting because the dairy was set in the eyes of a 4 year old so it wasn't hard to read but I really enjoyed it. My favorite quote from the book was 'never be afraid' because Dudley would have had to overcome a lot of difficulties while being a P.O.W . My favorite character was Dudley (writer of the dairy) as he overcame the fact of being a P.O.W and looked at it from a different angel.

[Conrad Thomas]

i think this book is a very wed book

[Gia]

i thought of the book really interesting