Customer Reviews

War Game

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Michael Foreman writes as beautifully as he draws. This is an evocative story of a Christmas truce during WW1 in which German and British soldiers become friends, singing carols and playing soccer together, learning to see one another as friends and fellow human beings. When the truce ends, each side deliberately fires over the heads of the other, unable to kill men they now regard as comrades. The German command learns of the game...War Game is a classic war story and should be in print.

This is a rare book for anyone who loves to teach and learn about history. Michael Foreman has taken a remarkable event (i.e. The Christmas Day Truce of WWI)and created a timeless tale. His book is packed with wonderful illustrations, and contains many facts about the Great War. Foreman has also woven primary documents from the time period throughout the book; most of which are in the form of propaganda posters. Overall, this book comes highly recommended, and it will be a shame if it is not re-printed soon!

This story is included in our sixth grade anthology. The students love this story. I am sorry that the book is out of print.

War Game was read to 6th grade students studying World War I. The author's excellent story line as well as superb illustrations dramatically told WWI thru a young man's eyes. Mr. Foreman captured our students attention at the beginning of the short story with the excitement and adventure of war. Closing the story with the realities of war, the classroom fell silent as the students grasped war's ultimate end -- the death of people they had come to "know". A very powerful life-lesson for all of us.

I read this book for the first time a few years ago, and it's one of the few picture books that have really stuck with me. The illustrations and story are simple, but that does not detract from it's power.

War Game tells the story of Will and his friends, who all enjoy playing football, as they join the army in 1914. It's packed with historical detail, but not so much that it will bore kids.

The heart of the story centers around the Christmas Truce of 1914, a truly incredible bit of history, with warmth and feeling, but not sentimentality. The book's conclusion is heartbreaking (it's probably not for very young or very sensitive kids), and every time I read it, I have to reach for some tissues.

All in all, this is a wonderful children's book, fully deserving the award it won, and a gentle, yet honest, way to introduce kids to World War One.

This is an excellent book that stirs the emotions. The pictures are beautiful watercolors . Though it is important to learn the facts of WW I, this book will create an impression that will not be forgotten, which is even more important than memorizing facts. I borrow most of our books, but this is one book that I would recommend buying.

Teaching kids about war can be challenging. On the one hand, there is the desire to praise heroism and greatness, but on the other, who doesn't idealistically want to teach kids to avoid war? After all, if every kid grew up abhorring war, our grandchildren would have a more peaceful existence, right? Well, maybe not---but this isn't philosophy, it's a book review.

This book, though, is a good tool to work on that philosophy. Even with the mostly cheerful illustrations, War Game makes no light work of warfare and death. It's a story of young boys forced into a terrible situation, a brief glimmer of hope on Christmas Eve, and then a return to reality.

For a good discussion starter or for an effort to bring World War One down from "Central Powers vs. Allies" to a human situation, this book is a great one for it. My 10-year-old read it to my 8 and 5 year olds for history and then we had some family discussion about it.

What an outstanding book! It is so hard to find good stories to share and teach about WWI. I had to order it in paperback from the UK where sadly, Foreman's evocative pictures were reduced and reproduced in black & white. This should be in every school library. Foreman's story is based on a true incident. My students loved the soccer connection and felt empathy for the four young men who face the bitter reality of war and the joy of one very special day.