Christmas Truce: A True Story of World War 1
Christmas Truce: A True Story of World War 1
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Overview
One night of peace in a world of war.
"Christmas Day, 1914 . . . My dear sister Janet . . . It is 2:00 in the morning and most of our men are asleep in their dugouts -- yet I could not sleep myself before writing to you of the wonderful events of Christmas Eve. In truth, what happened seems almost like a fairy tale, and if I hadn't been through it myself, I would scarce believe it. Just imagine: While you and the family sang carols before the fire there in London, I did the same with enemy soldiers here on the battlefields of France!"
The Christmas Truce of 1914 is one of the most extraordinary incidents not only of World War I but of all history. Providing inspiration for songs, books, plays, and movies, it has endured as an archetypal image of peace. Yet much about the historic event remains shrouded in myth and legend.
In this fictional letter -- illustrated in authentic detail by Wendy Edelson -- award-winning author Aaron Shepard draws from firsthand accounts of soldiers at the front to portray the truce in its true nature and spirit.
TEACHERS AND LIBRARIANS -- A READER'S THEATER SCRIPT OF THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE ON AARON'S WEB SITE.
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Aaron Shepard's many books for young people have won honors from the American Library Association, the New York Public Library, the Bank Street College of Education, the American Folklore Society, and the National Council for the Social Studies.
Wendy Edelson has been honored with the Pacific Northwest Book Award, the Moonbeam Children's Book Award, and the Mom's Choice Award. Her other illustrated books include Aaron's "The Baker's Dozen: A Saint Nicholas Tale."
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"Among the many entries celebrating this event's centennial, librarians and teachers should welcome this historically accurate telling for ages 9 and up." -- Kirkus Reviews (Web site), Aug. 11, 2014
"Beautifully and realistically illustrated." -- Alex Baugh, The Children's War (blog)
"Short but intense, heart-warming, full of hope, love, brotherhood, and friendship." -- Veronica Marzini, LibriAmoriMiei (blog), Nov. 8, 2014
"Delightful . . . A really beautiful rendition of those fantastic events when, in the midst of war, the spirit of Christmas overruled the fighting and peace reigned on the battlefields." -- Elaine Brent, Splashes Into Books (blog), Dec. 7, 2014
"Lovely . . . It evokes the time and place with vivid description and will certainly spark talk of why there is war . . . The artwork is stunning." -- Lynne Vanderveen Smith, children's librarian
"Great to use with readers of various ages, especially in a social studies or American history curriculum." -- Karen Biggs-Tucker, co-author, "Transforming Literacy Teaching for the Era of Higher Standards"
"I would recommend this for any school library . . . Includes facts about life in the trenches of World War I -- but without making it too frightening for young readers. Descriptions add realism to the scenes. Other things might surprise students and cause them to rethink their assumptions that all Germans were 'bad guys' . . . An excellent addition to a unit on WWI. It could start a class discussion or even be used as a model text for students who are writing up their own narratives based on research into the war." -- Suzanne Costner, school librarian
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940166261250 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Skyhook Press |
| Publication date: | 03/07/2022 |
| Sold by: | Draft2Digital |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 12 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
| Age Range: | 9 - 12 Years |
Read an Excerpt
ABOUT THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE
The Christmas Truce of 1914 is one of the most extraordinary incidents not only of World War I but of all history. Providing inspiration for songs, books, plays, and movies, it has endured as an archetypal image of peace.
Starting in some places on Christmas Eve and in others on Christmas Day, the truce covered as much as two-thirds of the British-German front, with French and Belgians involved as well. Thousands of soldiers took part. In most places, it lasted at least through Boxing Day (December 26), and in some, through mid-January. Perhaps most remarkably, it grew out of no single initiative but sprang up in each place spontaneously and independently.
Unofficial and spotty as the truce was, there have been those convinced it never happened—that the whole thing was made up. Others have believed it happened but that the news was suppressed. Neither is true. Though little was publicly reported in Germany, the truce made headlines for weeks in British newspapers, with published letters and photos from soldiers at the front. In a single issue, the latest inflammatory rumor of German atrocities might share space with a photo of British and German soldiers crowded together, their caps and helmets exchanged, smiling for the camera.
Historians, on the other hand, have not shown much interest in an unofficial outbreak of peace. The first comprehensive look at the event came only with the 1981 BBC documentary "Peace in No Man's Land," by Malcolm Brown and Shirley Seaton, and their 1984 companion book, "Christmas Truce" (Secker & Warburg, London). The book featured a large number of firsthand accounts from letters and diaries. Nearly everything described in my fictional letter is drawn from these accounts—though I have heightened the drama somewhat by selecting, arranging, and compressing.
In my letter, I've tried to counteract two popular misconceptions of the truce. One is that only common soldiers took part in it, while officers opposed it. (Actually, few officers opposed it, and many took part.) The other is that neither side wished to return to fighting. (Most soldiers, especially British, French, and Belgian, remained determined to fight and win.)
Sadly, I also had to omit the Christmas Day games of football—or soccer, as called in the U.S.—that are often falsely associated with the truce. The truth is that the terrain of No Man's Land ruled out formal games—though certainly some soldiers kicked around balls and makeshift substitutes.
Another false idea about the truce was held even by most soldiers who were there: that it was unique in history. Though the Christmas Truce is the foremost incident of its kind, informal truces were a long-standing military tradition. During the American Civil War, for instance, Rebels and Yankees traded tobacco, coffee, and newspapers, fished peaceably on opposite sides of a stream, and even gathered blackberries together. Some degree of fellow feeling had always been common among soldiers sent to battle.
Of course, all that has changed in modern times. Today, combatants kill at great distances, often with the push of a button and a sighting on a computer screen. Even where soldiers come face to face, their languages and cultures are often so divergent as to make friendly communication unlikely.
No, we should not expect to see another Christmas Truce. Yet still what happened on that Christmas of 1914 may inspire the peacemakers of today—for, now as always, the best time to make peace is long before the armies go to war.
Aaron Shepard