by Nicola Davies
illustrated by Rebecca Cobb
Candlewick Press, 2018
ISBN 978-1-5362-0173-4 (hc)
$19.99, 32 pp, ages 5 – 8
candlewick.com
The Day War Came shares Nicola Davies’ poem with wonderfully descriptive illustrations. The book provides a glimpse into a young girl’s experience with war. The girl starts her day going to school learning about volcanoes, singing about tadpoles, and drawing a picture of a bird. Then war comes. The story continues, sharing the girl’s experience after the war, getting to safety and then how she is treated when she finds a school. This is a very moving story that provides the reader with insight into the experiences of a refugee. The author’s notes provide an understanding of why the poem was written.
Classroom Connections: The Day War Came could lead to many discussions about the effects of war. It would be an excellent resource for the Social Studies curriculum when beginning a study of refugees and immigration. The book also lends itself well to questioning and could lead students into forming their own inquiry into refugees and how they are treated. Kindness, perseverance, and courage are also themes that could be explored with this book. When teaching character analysis and traits The Day War Came is an excellent resource to use. The story refers to a chair that was provided to the girl to allow her to attend school. Students could research the hashtag #3000chairs and create their own illustration of a chair with which they would welcome a refugee.
Review by Cindy Haack.
This review is from Canadian Teacher Magazine’s Winter 2020 issue.