Manyebook

The Vimy Oaks: A Journey to Peace

The Vimy Oaks: A Journey to Peace is award-winning writer Linda Granfield’s latest nonfiction picture book, published to coincide with the one-hundredth anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Like Granfield’s other titles on Canadian military history, The Vimy Oaks uses the experiences of a single soldier to provide the framework for sharing the details of Vimy Ridge and the First World War. In April 1917, Signal Corps member Leslie Miller picked up a few acorns from the muddy battlefields at Vimy and mailed them to his family back home in Ontario. Granfield describes how the oak trees resulting from these acorns became the centre of a project to mark the one-hundredth anniversary of the end of the First World War, encouraging readers to reflect not only on the significance of Vimy Ridge, but also the journey to renewal and peace.

Beautifully illustrated with a combination of archival photographs and Brian Deines’ softly expressive paintings, The Vimy Oaks is a compelling addition to Canadian historical nonfiction for younger readers. Granfield’s meticulously-researched text is clear, but never simplistic, and she deftly manages to keep the book’s focus on the theme of remembrance, rather than glorifying military conflict. With possibilities for use in classrooms and libraries long past the centennial of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, The Vimy Oaks is highly recommended to anyone who wants to learn more about Canada’s role in the First World War and the ways Canada has chosen to commemorate its soldiers’ sacrifices.

Review by Roseanne Gauthier

  • Format
  • hardcover
  • Language
  • english
  • ISBN
  • 9781443148504
  • Genres
  • canada, history, war
  • Release date
  • 2017