Book Review:
Do Not Forget Australia, Sally Murphy and Sonia Kretschmar, Walker Books, 2012, ISBN 978 1 921529 86 3. Hb. $29.95
This story is set during WW1 in a small village in France called Villers-Bretonneux and a home in Melbourne, Australia.
It is a fictionalised account of the suffering the French people experienced during one of the many battles fought in WW1, told through the eyes of a young French school boy, Henri. As well on the other side of the world, Billy is waiting for news of his father who is serving in the Australian army and as chance happens his father meets up with Henri.
After the war schoolchildren raised funds to enable the rebuilding of the French village and as such the school has signs in its school ground and above each blackboard Do not forget Australia.
While I felt the story to be a little boring the overall book, with its detailed illustrations, should make a starting point for schoolchildren wanting to do research on WW1 as well as finding out more about ANZAC day.
Sharon Greenaway
Sharon Greenaway 