A moving debut picture book remembers the wounds of shell shock 100 years from end of the First World War.
The war was over and Dad was coming home at last!
But the days and weeks go by, and when he does return Dad is not the happy man that young Rita once knew and Thomas thinks he remembers.
Struggling to understand his sadness and fears, the kids accompany him as he readjusts to home life, all the while singing his favourite song. One day, while they help him fix the deck, Dad starts to join in the song …
Vanessa Hatley-Owen and Rosie Colligan beautifully capture a children’s view of family love and the realities of shell shock for the men who returned after the First World War ended on 11 November 1918.
Reading Age: 4 to 7 years
RRP: Wipe-clean card cover picture book NZ$19.99
Published by Oratia Books New Zealand.
