Pidge's Poppies by Jan Andrews illustrated by Timothy Ide

Pidge and Henry (a pair of pigeons) live near the Canberra War Memorial. Henry explains:

"It's where people remember those who died in wars."

Pidge remembers stories from her ancestors about the war in 1939 and the war in 1914 and the way one of his long-ago family members received the Dickin Medal.

"If the telegraph lines from the battlefront were bombed, the pigeons could still carry messages from soldiers back to headquarters. They saved many soldiers' lives."

Pidge and Henry hear the guide talking about war heroes and poppies. It is time to build their nest and the scattered poppies left by visitors are perfect. Is this a true story? It certainly feels like one and the back cover says yes, it is so here is a missed opportunity - this book would be so much better with some back notes and more details about these true events at our Canberra War Memorial. Luckily it was easy to find this information.

Photo from the Australian War Memorial

Each day the pigeon has been flying down to the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier to steal poppies, carefully crafting a nest in the lead-up to Remembrance Day in an alcove above the stained-glass window of a wounded Australian soldier. Read more here.

Watch a video from Channel Seven (23 seconds).

The illustrations in this book by Timothy Ide are terrific. I especially like the way the war memory pages are presented in sepia. He is the illustrator of another wonderful book - Tom the Outback Mailman. 

Here are a set of teachers notes from the publisher. Further reading from the Australian War Memorial.

I wonder why/how this 2024 book was missed by the CBCA 2025 Book of the Year judges. This is a book that could be shared with your youngest students who are sure to be amazed at the contribution of pigeons in many past wars.

Ide’s illustrations show a deep understanding of the text. The multi-layered illustrations create the visual story with much skill. The illustrations really shine a light on the story. The pigeons are lifelike in appearance and movement. The colours used vary according to the time frames. I love the sepia effect when the story travels through the world wars. The vivid red of the poppies sing and pop on the spreads they appear. Buzz Words

Look for these books too:

Lofty's Mission

Spies in the Sky

This final one might be hard to find in Australia but I saw it at the splendid D Day Museum in Portsmouth.

Rachel's War by Mark Wilson

The story of an Australian WWI nurse

"This story was inspired by the true story of Rachel Pratt, an Australian army nurse serving in France during World War I who was awarded the Military medal 'for service above and beyond the call of duty during an air raid on 4 July, 1917."

As with all Mark Wilson books it is clear the text and illustrations in this book have been meticulously researched. You can feel his passion about the importance of sharing this story. Rachel’s story is told gently but realistically, and evokes a sense of hope amidst the horrors of war. There is just enough information to teach and entertain without being overly distressing. 

"Rachel remembered her mother's words about being strong and working hard. She ... dreamed of one day being able to help people."

"Rachel and Elise not only treated soldiers coming in from the desert with battle wounds, but also typhoid fever and influenza. Some even had gangrene from frostbite, which often ended in amputation."

"Bombs exploded, one after the other. Then with a mighty crash, one exploded right behind Rachel."

In this book I appreciated the moral compass which Mark communicates when we read about Rachel’s reaction to the young Turkish soldiers.  The splashes of poppies on the end papers are both pretty but also perhaps echo the splashes of blood seen by the nurses on the battlefield. The page near the end where it seems that Rachel may have been killed was so powerful.  I was enormously relieved to read on and discover she survived – this shows that as a reader I was deeply invested into this emotional text.  

It is good to have the addition of the two fact pages at the end of the book but in addition to this, it would have been good to have a list of picture credits and a list of references for further reading which I think Mark has included with some of his other books. The cover is striking and shows the compassion of the nurse while behind her we see the exotic places she has travelled to (the pyramids) and the grim reality of marching soldiers. Every part of the design used in this book has been created with enormous care. 

Exquisite illustrations by the author, Mark Wilson, allow our hearts to be moved by the descriptive images – some in colour, others in black fine line pen. Kids' Book Review

Rachel’s War is one of the books that contributes to this history and the hidden stories, allowing them to come to life. The Book Muse

Wilson shows in both words and pictures, the hardships which confronted the nurses: shortages of basic equipment, food and sanitation as well as staff. Rachel and Elsie manage some incidental sightseeing in Egypt before being transferred to France but continue treating men with battle wounds and more complex health issues. Each of the girls suffers physical and mental traumas, including Rachel herself being wounded after a German bombing raid. Reading Time

Here are a small selection of picture books by Mark Wilson - all highly recommended:

His newest book will be released later this year:

Rachel's War is a 2022 CBCA Book of the Year Notables : Eve Pownall Award

Take a look at my previous post where I talk about another book that celebrates to role of nurses during war - The Flying Angel by Vicki Bennett illustrated by Tull Suwannakit.  

Mighty Min by Melissa Castrillón

You're never too small to be mighty.

Young Min lives with her four aunts in a tiny house at the bottom of the garden. Min thinks she is too small to do anything heroic but one evening she is whisked away by a huge owl. He explains there is a monster in the garden and many of the smaller animals need to be rescued. 

Firstly Min finds the lost babies for a mother rabbit. Then she untangles the tail of a small mouse. All night she is kept busy. A beetle needs help to flip off his back; a grasshopper needs a bandage on his leg; and two snails need reassurance it is safe to come out of their shells.  But who is causing all of this terror? Min comes face to face with an enormous cat. She could run away but no, our little Min finds the perfect solution. She tames the cat by tickling it. Think about this. It is such a beautiful way to resolve the conflict. When she returns home she is so delighted to share her own mighty tale. You can see inside this book here. 

Here are some other books illustrated by Melissa Castrillon:

Nano

Dear Little One

If the idea of miniature worlds interests you here is a fairly new picture book you could investigate. 

I would also pair this book with a very old (long out of print) book I adore:

You might also look for the movie Arrietty from studio Ghibli which is based on the novel The Borrowers by Mary Norton.