Pistes d'exploration

Talk about Remembrance Day and why we celebrate it.

How do you think the young Poppa felt going off to war at such a young age? What happened to his friend? How does he remember him on Remembrance Day?

Find the similes in the book. Create new similes to describe various emotions.

Write, in his own voice, the story of young Poppa as he lies about his age and signs up to become a soldier. 

Before reading the story, predict what the story will be about based on the front and back covers. Talk about Remembrance Day. 

Discuss your thoughts on the grandfather going to war when he was seventeen. What does he tell his grandson about the war? Why is a war “something you never forget”?

Practise using the expressions in the story (e.g. I am as proud as a peacock when I…)

Imagine that one of the bundled letters is from the grandfather, telling his sweetheart that he received a medal. Write that letter, using resources and information from the text.

The Road to Afghanistan, A Poppy Is to Remember, Faithful Elephants: A True Story of Animals, People, and War

Mots-clés

Picture book , family history , grandfathers , intergenerational relationships , memories , Remembrance Day , similes , war , World War II

Commentaire descriptif

A young boy flips through a photo album as his grandfather gets dressed. The photos—and a bundle of old letters—lead to many questions. Monochrome illustrations in a pen and wash effect depict photographs from Poppa’s past as a soldier during World War II. One picture shows a young Poppa kissing his sweetheart goodbye and another depicts him and his best friend on an outbound ship. For every question the boy asks, Poppa offers a new expression: as a 17 year-old boy in uniform he “felt proud as a peacock;” at sea, “we were busy as beavers.” Children will especially enjoy the full colour illustrations of present day scenes when they incorporate fanciful images inspired by these animal expressions, and the monochrome ghosts of Poppa’s memories. This is an excellent story for introducing children to the national and personal histories that are honoured by Remembrance Day ceremonies. In a particularly poignant moment, Poppa lays a wreath in honour of his best friend, who did not return from the war. “A war is something you never forget.” This time it is the child who offers the expression: “‘Elephants never forget,’ I tell him. ‘Then let’s be elephants,’ he says.”