by Michael Morpurgo, illustrated by Michael Foreman. It is a moving story that involves secret drawers, hidden letters, burnt down houses and an elderly lady. The book tells the tale of the Christmas day truce of 1914 in the words of a British soldier. The book is sensitively illustrated and the combination of words and pictures brings me to tears every time I read it.There is also a stage show/book reading performance which fills in a little more of Jim Macpherson's story including where he was stationed and when he died. It is read by Michael Morpurgo and Virginia Mckenna and has musical accompaniment. It will be next performed at St Martin's Cathedral at Ypres on Monday 22nd December 2014.
Whilst researching the Christmas day truce story to write Picture Book Explorers ~ The Best Christmas Present in the World, I have read so many letters and seen so many photographs of the soldiers who were part of this amazing piece of history that the characters in the book feel even more alive to me now. It is such a poignant story of the hope of peace in the midst of war. Some of this information is in the pack but there are also winter weather science experiments, art activities, creative writing prompts, discussion starters and role play opportunities in this hands-on learning pack that includes maps, flags and timelines and recipes.
The first time I remember hearing of the Christmas day truce was in the Paul McCartney music video to his song "The Pipes of Peace" way back in the1980s. Now I'm showing my age ;)
Happy Exploring!
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