The Good Son by Ober, Ober, and Coonan - OPTIONAL

The Good Son: A Story From the First World War Told in Miniature by Pierre-Jacques Ober, illustrated by Jules Ober and Felicity Coonan, 104 pages. PICTURE BOOK. Candlewick, 2019. $22. 9781536204827

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

The little soldiers are marching off to war (World War I) - except for Pierre.  He is locked in a barn.  Why? Because he left without permission for two days to visit his mother for Christmas. Now the colonel is going to make an example of him for other would-be-deserters by shooting Pierre at dawn.

Very much not the story I was expecting when I first saw this book. The miniature scenes are amazing!  The story line is difficult to read because it is so heart-breaking. This juxtaposition makes for an interesting tension.  I am going to add it to my collection because it is so fascinating and it is a great counterpoint to the idea of noble war.  I would not hesitate to pair this with the poetry of that war as a unit of study.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/articles/70139/the-poetry-of-world-war-i

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS