Customer Reviews

The Enemy

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Two soldiers are at war with one another. They have never even seen each other, but their manuals paint a portrait of an evil monster, not a human being. Every morning, after they have crouched in their foxholes for a while, they each climb a ladder to the top to peer over the edge. "Every morning, I shoot at him. Then he shoots at me." For the rest of the day they lay low, just passing the time away. Each one gets hungry, but it is a waiting game. Finally when the soldier is starving he lights a fire. Very soon after that, "the enemy lights his."

The manual says all kinds of things about this "wild beast." It says hey have "nothing in common" and that he'd better kill him first before he kills all of them, their families, pets and destroys their way of life. In the meantime, war goes on in the foxholes. It's been a long time and the waiting game seems like forever. Sometimes the soldier wonders if they have been forgotten. Food and water and the lack of it is becoming a problem. Is all this really necessary? He climbs out of his hole and goes to the enemy foxhole, but finds no one there. But, oddly enough there are pictures of his family. Hmmm and he has a manual too. He now realizes the enemy is in his foxhole. What will happen if he tries to call a truce?

This is a very simple tale with very simple line drawing illustrations that packs a wallop in the message department. It reminds me of the old saying about peace, love and hope only this little story comes from two stick figures playing a waiting game to see who can kill each other first to end a senseless and seemingly endless war. The most touching part is when the little soldier says, "There are pictures of his family . . . I wasn't expecting him to have a family." Do you think anyone in the enemy forces has a family?

This book has sparked some interesting conversations with my 4 year old son. My husband was a little shocked by it's honesty, but that's just what I was looking for as we fall head first into the superhero/shoot 'em up phase of boyhood. Beautifully illustrated.

i believe the soldier climbs out of his hole in disguise

and wanders back into his own hole. the soldier describes

his disorientation before leaving. i believe the message

of the book is the reader shouldn't write a message in

a bottle and throw it out of their "hole", hoping an

imaginary enemy will receive it and stop the war. the

reader should read the message themselves and act.

this is a great book.