The War (Carolrhoda Picture Books) [Paperback]

Anais Vaugelade (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 3, 2007 | Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up | Series: Carolrhoda Picture Books

Prince Fabien uses an ingenious trick to end the war between the Reds and the Blues without violence.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Spare watercolors set the tone for this sage antiwar parable. Played out against a bleak, treeless landscape, the tale of two kingdoms locked in endless war draws its color from the characters: the Reds, ruled by Victor the Second, fight the Blues, led by Armand the Twelfth. French author/artist Vaugelade plays up this war's farcical nature by emphasizing the characters' resemblance to one another; readers can identify them only by their corresponding monochromatic spreads. The vast, empty throne rooms in checkerboard tile cleverly suggest a game of chess. Prince Fabien of the Blues "wasn't very interested in war," and, when challenged to a duel with Prince Julien of the Reds, shows up riding a sheep, startling Julien's horse and killing him. Accused by the Reds of cheating and disowned by his father, Fabien sends identical letters to the two kings claiming that he has joined with King Basil of the Yellows, and challenges them to battle--thus making the age-old enemies into allies. Vaugelade carries the pacifist message both visually and textually; the piquant reds, blues and yellows pop out against the barren backdrop to keep attention tightly focused on the human aspect of this shrewd tale. A festive penultimate spread depicts the hesitant but joyful mingling of Red and Blue citizens as their alliance outweighs years of antagonism. All ages. (Mar.)Peace and People's Understanding.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-5. A picture-book allegory about the futility of war makes its point not through grim battlefields of corpses but by exposing the idiocy of the powerful, who send armies to fight for a cause the soldiers know nothing about. Fabien, the young son of the king of the Blues, is supposed to fight the enemy Reds. But Fabien isn't interested in much of anything. He doesn't belong in the bluster of honor and hate. He spends his days in the park, sitting in a tree. Then, when he's forced into exile, he finally does something. He tricks the two warring kings into thinking they have a common enemy and he ends the war. Translated from the French, the text is spare, elemental, and without a preachy word. The setting is medieval, almost like a fairy tale, with double-page spreads in watercolor and ink that show the beauty of the many shades of blue and red. The kings are comic grotesques in a world of marching armies and rhythmic crowds, yet children who look closely will glimpse individual faces in those crowds. In the climactic scene the two camping armies are joined by their families and become one community. It's fun to see the stupid, powerful adults tricked by one wise boy, but older kids may find the outcome too simple. This could spark discussion about the civil wars on the nightly news and in the neighborhood. Do the soldiers know why they're fighting? Is war always futile? Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: First Avenue Editions (February 3, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575059185
• ISBN-13: 978-1575059181
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 9.6 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,089,172 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Small book with a tall message, February 15, 2010

By 

C. Howard - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The War (Carolrhoda Picture Books) (Paperback)

My daughter stumbled upon this book during a trip to the library. Over the past 7 years, this treasure has been taken out of the library countless times. Each time I read it, I am amazed and thankful for its existence. I finally purchased it for my daughter. "The War" is one of her most prized possessions. The beautifully, melancholic images reinforce the book's simple message. It takes courage, and intelligence, to NOT continue a tradition of violence. Prince Fabien is my anti-war hero!

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars works as a read-aloud with K - 3rd grade, March 24, 2003

By 

E. Siskind (berkeley, ca, usa) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The War (Carolrhoda Picture Books) (Hardcover)

I have read this book aloud to several groups of kids in Kindergarten through 3rd grade, who were visiting my library over the past year. Each time, there is a hush in the group when the red prince dies in the duel. The blue prince, blameless, nevertheless heroically deals with the consequences. At the end of the story today (with war on the news every minute), one third grader responded by saying, "I wish it were really like that." It has had a similar response among each group.
It is a very simple book, that clearly expresses the futility and avoidability of war. Not an easy topic, but this brief story takes a topic that is on everyone's mind and shows what we all want: for no on else to die for a reason that no one can remember.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Make of It What You Will, October 22, 2007

By 

James Charnock (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The War (Carolrhoda Picture Books) (Paperback)

THE WAR (1998) is another commentary for young children against war. Of course, Dr. Seuss was ahead of the curve back in 1984 with THE BUTTER BATTLE BOOK, which is an effective, humorous AND serious commentary on the arms race.

This book pretends that war is really unnecessary, but we know some are, even if most are not. I don't find it particularly interesting, although it does have surprising turns. If you happen to be a conscientious objector, then this is a book you will want to share with young children and students. Or if you believe children should be temporarily fooled about life--sort of like the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus and Halloween (regardless of your religious or non-religious convictions)--then you'll consider this a rather harmless book, even as enjoyable as, say, Old Saint Nick (which children eventually wise up to).

I just think the author could have dealt with the subject of war more frankly at a level that a child can appreciate, but not necessarily "enjoy." (Children CAN take the truth, you know.) There are myths (not all are so, of course) about the valor of war and this book is about the valor of non-war. The former might think war and fighting exciting (until reality finally sets in); the latter can be shattered by the thought of it. I hoped the book was going to come down the middle, but its ending was as ideal as those fairy tale lived-happily-ever-after dismissals.

Who knows, maybe children should be sheltered from reality. If so, this book narrowly shows the (too often) evil of war and succeeds in the (untrue) idea that there CAN always be an alternative if one is clever enough--at least in a picture book.

Note: As you will see (if you buy the book) from the more famous reviewers' comments on the back cover--William Steig, Publishers Weekly, The Horn Book, Booklist and UNESCO--my opinion is in the minority. But that never bothers me; nor should it.

The Creative Teacher: Activities for Language Arts (Grades 4 through 8 and Up)