Product Description

Echoes of Christmas 1914 in the trenches call to the present day when a letter found by chance in an antique desk brings one soldier's experience hauntingly to life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1130 in Books
• Published on: 2004-10-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 48 pages

Customer Reviews

Very moving, very brilliant
I borrowed this picture book for the local library for my youngest child, without really looking at it. When I read it I was absolutely blown away and ordered it from Amazon the same day. Michael Foreman's illustrations and Michael Murpurgo's story work extremely well together to draw you into the book, involving you in the characters and their lives. The ending illustration left me with goosebumps and a feeling of joy for the characters involved. Perhaps my teenage daughter's reaction best sums up this book: "WOW!"

Brilliant simplicity... and simply brilliant!
This is what this author, the current children's laureate, does best. He has taken a familiar story - in this case Christmas Day in the trenches of 1914 - and given it a contemporary twist which delivers poignance and pathos. It all begins when an old letter is discovered in an antique desk...
If you already know Morpurgo's work then you won't be disappointed. And if you don't yet know his writings, which run to over 100 published books, then this little gem is as good a place as any to begin.

It's ok
I bought this book on the strength of the reviews and although it's ok, it's not as awe inspiring as it's made out to be. It's a useful book for youngsters who aren't aware of the cease fire on Christmas Eve during the 1st World War and that in itself is heart warming, but the ending isn't what it could be and leaves one feeling a little flat.