No.56 - The Silver Sword

To my absolute disgust I had this book out from the library for the 18 months... I got it out right before the first UK lockdown, and had it for months after! And, do you know whats made me even more ashamed... It took me all that time to read it, and at least another year to post this!! So finally, here is my experience of Ian Serraillier's classic Second World War novel The Silver Sword. 

This is one of those children's books that hits you hard. It tells the story of the Balicki children, growing up in war torn Europe during WW2 and the Nazi regime, and their journey to be reunited with their parents. It often amazes me that childen's books can deal with these topics in such a careful, emotive way, without being overtly scary or disturbing. The authors manage to distill the topics, sites and sounds so that we feel all the emotions and tension without the adult themes. This is particuarly powerful when dealing with troubling themes for middle-grade readers. Ian Serraillier does this beautifully in The Silver Sword. 

Ruth, Edek and Bronia Balicki are left in war torn Poland after their father Joseph is arrested for his anti-nazi sentiments. After escaping prison he makes his way back to Warsaw only to find that his home and the neighbourhood he lived in has been bombed and his children are missing. Whilst looking in the rubble of his home he discovers a sword shaped letter opener that his wife had bought for him, but along with this discovery he also finds Jan, an orphaned boy, and his pet chicken, intent on stealing the shiny letter opener. Joseph agrees to let Jan keep it on one condition, if he ever sees the Balicki children he should tell them that if they make their way to their grandparents house in Switzerland he will meet them there and they will all be safe. 

I won't give away much more of the plot, because my description would not do the story justice at all. This story has twists and turns, well rounded characters and a sense of hope that can only be experienced by reading the book. And I'm not at all surprised, as this book is based on true events. Some place names have been changed, along with names of the camps that appear in the story, but overall the main plot of this book is based on true accounts of life in Nazi occupied Europe during World War Two. Without books like this it would be hard for modern children to understand exactly what their conterparts at this time went through. Children need to read about children, to relate to the characters that mirror their own ages' life experiences. This is why school stories are forever enduring. It is also why books like Carrie's War and Goodnight Mr Tom are used to educate children about the Second World War, and Ian Serraillier's book is no exception. Although children can't relate to the hardship of the Balicki children, they can relate the fact that they are children, and this is key. This book is another one of those enduring stories that will continue to be used in schools and recommened to children, because it is so authentic. Although it took me a while to get through it, I would read The Silver Sword again, and no doubt I would pick up on different details the second time around, which is great. It is a heartwarming, but also heart rending tale, and I really enjoyed it. Yes, Jan is stubborn and annoying, and yes, the girls are a little stereotypical, but that being said, the children are strong characters and you end up really warming to them and routing for them to get to their parents! But I wont spoil the ending for you! 

Thanks for reading, L x

No. 57 - Elmer

It's been a while since I posted anything on here. My personal life has been so busy, as well as working part time now too, so finding time to blog has been difficult! But I'm feeling in need of a focus right now, so here I am! 

I have been excited about this one because Elmer is one of my all time favourite elephants! In fact, he's one of my all time favourite characters, in one of my all time favourite books! I give you Elmer by David McKee!

This bright and vibrant tale of identity is a classic for a reason, it speaks to anyone and everyone, and the message is loud and clear - BE YOURSELF!

The story of Elmer was sparked by an incident in McKee's personal life, he told The Guardian in 2014. 

 "There was another family on the other side of the street and the boy said: 'Look, there's a nigger!' My daughter was upset. I thought, he's talking about my daughter. I couldn't believe it. She is darker skinned because her mother was Anglo-Indian, but my daughter is beautiful – as was my wife."

Devastated by this racist attack towards his family, McKee decided to write Elmer, and it has become a key book for teaching children about valuing each other's differences, about prejudice and indeed, racism. McKee took this theme into the other Elmer books too, writing about immigration, amongst other things, and in his early work Tusk Tusk, where he addressed both war and racisim. 

Elmer has even been hailed as an LGBTQ+ icon, something that McKee never had in mind when writing the books, but seems to have happened over time! And why not!? Elmer is all about acceptance and inclusivity, and celebrating the things that make us us. 

My favourite page is the one where Elmer has snuck back into the heard and is looking at all the boring, grey elephants. He suddenly realises how absurd it is to try and fit in! This of course, can be a big turning point in a person's life, and McKee pin points it exactly. There is a huge feeling of liberation and acceptance in Elmer's loud "BOOO!"

McKee had a knack of subtly weaving these themes into this work. It is obvious Elmer is all about celebrating difference, but it is not done in a way that makes it the main focus. Elmer is always the main focus. Children learn from Elmer's actions, not what is written in the text, and that is a very clever what of delivering a tricky message. 

Readers may well know by now that I love a fact! So here are some Elmer facts for you! 

• There are 22 Elmer books, and a lot more merchandise!
• There have been over 10 million Elmer books sold worldwide since it's publication in 1989.
• It has been translated into 50 different languages.
• There actually is an Elmer Day! It appears to be the last Saturday of May, so mark that calendar!
• In 2019 there was an Elmer stage show, with puppets!

For me Elmer will always be the fun loving elephant, proud of his colourful countenance. A happy chap, who holds friendship close, and is kind to everyone, no matter what. I am even more fond of him now I know what he means to other communities and where the initial inspiration came from. Every child should be read Elmer, infact everyone should read Elmer! The life lesson that can be taken from just those few picturebook pages is incredibly valuable. 

Thanks for reading, L x

Ps. Next up, The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier

Comfort Zones in Children's Literature

Comfort zones are a big thing for everybody. Whether you're a child or an adult, there's something about moving from the unknown to the known that scares us all, deep down. That step away from the stable and secure, be that trying something new, going to school for the first time, or starting a new job. It's scary! What will it be like? How will you cope? Who will you meet? Endless questions! At the moment I am feeling somewhat stuck in a comfort zone that I have neatly curated for quite some time, and it made me think about how comfort zones are portrayed in children's literature, because of course, this is often my first route of enquiry.

My first thought was of dear Mole in The Wind in the Willows, spring cleaning his little hole, when all of a sudden he decides enough is enough, "Hang spring-cleaning" he mutters and scrabbles out into the open fields above him, ebracing life above ground. He does it, pushes out of his comfort zone! He has moments of fear, where no doubt he wishes he could disappear underground, don't we all! But most importantly Mole shows us that's its ok to falter, and its our inner strength that helps us continue onwards.

Then I though of timid Piglet, always one step behind Pooh bear, his living, breathing comfort zone. A friendship that was more than just two pals. They made each other braver and stronger somehow and together they were able to traverse the boundaries of their comfort zones to hunt woozles and heffalumps, as well as deal with Tigger on a daily basis! 

Both Mole and Piglet show us that courage comes just beyond your comfort zone, and it's always easier with the support of others. 

As my brain delved deeper into the idea of comfort zones in children's books I starting thinking about the concept of growing up and how many children's books written during the Golden Age of children's literature made a clear distinction between child and adult, and many books such as Little Women, were written to eductate children in the art of becoming an adult, or navigating the transition between childhood and adulthood. In Little Women Alcott is showing us what it is like to grow up, the moral trials and tribulations, as well as the practical expectations for the 19th century woman. We see the girls' grow away from the comfort zone of Marmee to become women in their own right, however, I would argue this is only successful for Amy and Jo, who take up independant careers and an artist and teacher, respectively. Beth, unfortunatley never makes it to adulthood, she is too entrenched in the comfort zone of home that she is forever trapped there, always rememebered as the shy, sickly child she was in life. Meg becomes a comfort zone in her own right, taking on the Marmee role as the book progresses, something more expected at the time the novel is set. 

On the reverse of this is Peter Pan, J.M Barrie's 'Boy Who Never Grew Up'. His relationship with adulthood is very different. He refuses to accept the notion of growing up, the biological fact that children grow into adults. A lot of this characterisation is down to Barrie's own relationship with adulthood and his own personal comfort zones. Barrie was traumatised by his brothers death when he was a child, and the subsequent effect this had on his mother. He himself retained some childlike traites in his adult personality, an attempt a reliving the life he had before his early trauma, his comfort zone. Many historians have suggested that Barry was asexual, and that his attitude towards growing up was closely linked with his sexuality. He believed that once you had crossed the boundary into adulthood (mainly through sexual acts) that there was no way of getting back to childhood. This idea can be seen wholeheartedly in Peter Pan. The nursery is a comfort zone, and although the Darling children travel from it's confines to Neverland, this is Peter's domain, where adulthood (depsite Wendy playing at Mother) is no where to be seen. A fantasy comfort zone that insures adulthood will never get in. 

Thinking more on the idea of comfort zones I also considerd the idea of the physical book too. Do you have a book that you return to again and again? An escapism that has in some way become a comfort zone. I know I do. For me it's the world of Winnie the Pooh, and a fictional diary called A Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith. When i'm a bit down, or unsure what to read next, I will always reach for one of those books. They make me laugh, and slipping into their pages is like slipping into a pair of snuggly socks or clean sheets. It's magical, and of course extremely comforting! For children there will always be books that they will want to read again and again, or a series that they really get hooked on. For adults you may return to books you read as a child to feel comforted or reassured. It's natural for humans to want that comfort, support and reassurance of the known. This is why stepping outside our comfort zone is really hard. 

The children's adventure or school story genres often hold an element of comfort zone expansion, of pushing beyond what they know or what parents have set as the boundaries, and often the protagonsists of these books do it without batting an eyelid! The innocence of childhood in these stories seems to take away any fear of the unknown that we might have as adults. Re-reading some books I often find myself projecting my own fears and anxiety onto the characters. Why are they doing that? What will be the consequences of those actions? Who should or shouldn't they trust? Is this blatent disregard for the unknown good for children? Is it teaching them to have a growth mindset or to be plain reckless!? Nowadays I think there is a lot more phsychology involved in the actions of characters in children's books. Children are no longer just 2D stereotypes in stories that like to sail, or act the spy. Children's books now address a lot broader range of themes, questions and societal issues, all of which at points will deal with the idea of the comfort zone in some way or another. Books for children, and more often teens, nowadays address issues such as loss, grief, sexually, violence, crime and drug abuse. There is almost no topic out of bounds anymore! They are instruction guides to growing up, cheat sheets for big life decisions; books for big emotions. Children growing up today are so incredibly lucky that they have literature that addresses issues they might come across and helps them navigate life. Comfort zones have been replaced with topics that make us think and feel, rather than settle down in a cosy corner. I sometimes wonder if this is a good thing? But I suppose things move on. Like life. We must move on, push forward out of that comfort zone like Mole; free ourselves and good things will happen.

"This day was only the first of many for the emancipated Mole, each of them longer and fuller of interest as the ripening summer moved onward." 

Thanks for reading, L x