Cover Image: Postcards From a War

Postcards From a War

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Member Reviews

When Matthew's mother goes off to war, his grandfather share postcards with him that he and his father exchanged when his father was away in World War II.

The illustrations in this picture book are beautiful. I loved the monochromatic color choice. I wish it would have followed through the whole book in this same color scheme. The more colorful illustrations were not of the same caliber as the brown/black ones.

I'm confused about this book. It isn't quite what I expected. It's a short picture book with quite a bit that is grammatically written for a 3-4-year-old audience, but with language and subject matter more suited for an 8-10-year-old audience.

Given the mismatch of language and subject matter with the writing style, I don't have an audience I would recommend this book to.

Thank you NetGalley and Vanita Books for this Advanced Reader Copy.

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Postcards from a War is a brilliant book, one which allows a boy whose mother is serving overseas to dip into his family history from World War II. What makes it so appealing is its ability to be relatable with an 80-90 year gap in time. No one understands war and no one wants it, so offering a tangible explanation for what happens with those deployed, and accepting how uncomfortable it can be for those waiting at home is helpful in a way that no book I've seen yet has tried.

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This book is intended to help children cope with separation from a parent due to military service. The author includes real postcards written by her father while he served in the Philippines in World War II.

The boy in the story is worried about his mother, who has gone to war, and his grandfather (the author's brother) comforts him by sharing the postcards he received from his father during World War II. Together, they decide to make a scrapbook of the WWII postcards and the emails the boy receives from his mother. I would have liked to see more about the scrapbook, but the book ended pretty abruptly at that point.

My husband is active duty Army and I am in the Army Reserves. My stepdaughter is always worried about her father going to war. Luckily, he has not deployed to a war zone since before she was born nearly a decade ago. Now that he and I have a daughter together, I would love to have a copy of this book on the childrens' bookshelf. Even if we are not separated by war, we will be separated by other military commitments that take place in order to prevent war, so this book will still be a useful tool.

Profits from the sale of this book are donated to Fisher House Foundation, Inc. Fisher House provides free housing for families of hospitalized servicemembers.

I received a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and VanitaBooks, LLC.

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Postcards From a War by Vanita Oelschlager is a beautiful picture book written for children who have parents in the military. Grandpa helps his grandson understand why his mother was sent overseas through postcards and letters. It's a powerful story that I would highly recommend for classrooms, but especially for those where military families are prevalent.

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Got this from Netgalley.

Postcards from a War is a children's book that tells the story of a grandfather helping his grandson through the struggle of his mother leaving to war by sharing his own experiences.

The artwork and pictures were very nice.

Might add more later

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This wonderfully sepia tone illustrated book tells the story of a child whose father went to war many years ago and sent home postcards to his children and relates it to children today whose mother or father is serving in an overseas war. This is a very meaningful book that deserves its place in every reader's local library. Well done!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from VanitaBooks, LLC via NetGalley. Thank you!
All net profits from this book will benefit Fisher House Foundation which serves veterans and their families with locations in most states. Google it!

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This book had a really good message for kids who may or may not have loved ones in the military. Those that do, it would really hit home and connect with them. For those who don’t, it would bea good book to discuss empathy. I also liked the positive female role.

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This is a beautifully illustrated and written children’s book about the struggles of parent/ child separation during war. Told with empathy and sympathy, any child dealing with the loneliness and fear from a parent being away at war would appreciate this book. It could be read to 1-2 grades; older could read on their own. Group discussions about the themes will also help children understand the history and emotions that the author felt while living through WWII.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3569940114

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I thought this was a good book. I liked the characters and plot of the story. This is about a young boy living with his grandfather during WWII while his mother is deployed in the Air Force. His grandfather is trying to help him understand why his mother has to go. The illustrations were beautifully done.

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Please look into this book issue I cant download the book in my phone. It's not supporting not even in the netgalley shelf

I cant review and rate this book as I cannot open or read the book

Please look into the issue and solve it

I would like to read the book and review it.

Get back to me with a solution if you can.

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**I received and voluntarily read an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Nice illustrations, and I really like the watercolor effect. The sepia tone for the past versus the multicolor present is a nice separation to help tell the two time periods apart. At times, the white text over multicolor images could be a little difficult to read.

Good story that will help older generations who saw their parents off at war be able to discuss the situation with their own children (or grandchildren) who are now going through similar situations.

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I received an electronic copy from VanitaBooks, LLC through NetGalley.
A grandson shares his concerns and fears for his mom who is off fighting a war. His grandfather brings out the postcards his own dad sent while in the Philippines during World War II. He shared his memories and how much it meant to have that connection. They decide to create a book sharing these postcards and their stories along with any cards or emails Matthew's mom sends.
The illustrations of the actual postcards are terrific but the text is a bit flat. It is a book that tells the story but remains disconnected from the audience. Glad I read it but not sure it will connect with younger readers.

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This is a beautiful story about how hard separation can be due to a war. It's hard enough explaining war to a child, but separation is even harder. A book like this is truly welcomed to explain these hard topics. I am truly impressed, as usual, by the amazing books authors write and how helpful they can be for their target audience.

This book has a great personality about it - the postcards and old times pictures at the start really set the mood. It brought me back in time and made me feel like I was there with the author. I really liked how cool and unique the book was and how it presented it's difficult topic of war.

This book seems like it would be good for younger readers (about grade three) and middle schoolers. It's also just a beautiful book in general. It's a great picture book with a great story and theme behind it. Books like these are important to share! If only my history classes taught using tools like these, I might have enjoyed history more back in my childhood.

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and VanitaBooks for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

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I have a lot of interest in all things WWII, so this book really piqued my interest before I even started it. And then realizing that it is pretty much based on a real story made it that much more fascinating.

Matthew doesn't quite understand why his mother had to go off to war and is really struggling with a multitude of feelings about it. He turns to his grandfather for advice. His grandfather tells him stories of his own father having to go off to WWII and how he kept in touch with his family while he was away.

I love the history of this book. It talks a bit about what happened during the Second World War, while also showing the letters and postcards that were sent home to the children. So you catch a glimpse of history that kids don't often get to experience. And then there is a bit of commentary for contemporary kids about the mixed feelings about war and how they may be the hope to bring about world peace some day. It's a good history tool and could inspire some good old-fashioned letter writing in kids who read it.

Thank you to the publisher for fulfilling my review request via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Postcards from a War is beautifully illustrated short novella for children but I enjoyed reading it being an adult.

It is about a boy named Matthew whose mom is in the air force and is gone on a war mission Matthew goes to see his grandfather Brian after his school gets over.

And then Matthew tells his grandfather about how sad he is because his mother had to go for war. Then Grandpa tells him how he too had to go to war once and how he used to write letters and that made the partition manageable for the family.

They both have funny chats and those letters are just so lovely to read.

The book is a short read and very touching at the same time because it talks about the pain of separation when someone has to take off to assist during wartime.

A fascinating book for children. Recommended

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Thanks to NetGalley and Vanita Books for allowing an advanced read of this book.

Kudos to the illustrator for doing his best to match the time period that the letters would have been received.

This picture book should bring calm and support to children at home waiting for their parents to return from war. Sometimes we forget how necessary this type of book is for children. I'm glad you remembered and shared it with us.

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I did not realize this was a children's book. With that said , I thought the book was beautifully written. I enjoyed the time period an that the author was writing from her own family history.

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This is a wonderfully illustrated picture book about a boy who is scared and sad because his mother has been deployed, who talks to his grandpa about his feelings. His grandfather tells him of how he felt when his own dad was deployed during WWII and shows him postcards that his father sent. What's especially touching about the book is that the book shows actual postcards that were sent home by the author's father, which are sweet, silly and loving. The boy and grandfather have good discussions about why there are wars, whether there can someday be no more wars, how to get through the time waiting for his mother and so on. The illustrations are very well done and the book does an excellent job of talking about war without glamorizing it. I also appreciated that the author has grandpa talk about how his father said he was now the man of the house and not to cry but that nowadays we know that it's better not to try to bottle up our feelings.

All profits from the book go towards a charity that provides for military families in times of need.

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My Review: I was instantly drawn to this book with the vintage looking cover and the title. I am so glad I was able to pick this book up and read it. I love the way that this book is not only able to give a link to the families with soldiers overseas but also to link the experiences of past generations with those of this generation. While the method and location of war has changed over the years, the impact to those both abroad and those at home has not. Even though we have the technology to connect instantaneously around the world, there is still nothing quite like having something to hold in your hand that has been held by your loved one far away. This was a beautiful story and a great book for all ages.

My Rating: I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the illustrations are great and the soft edges fit well with the sentimental/memory feel of the story. It has a great message and I think many others will really enjoy it. I give it a rating of Four Paws!!

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Thank you so much Net gallery and the publisher for this downloadable book. I found this a very realistic and moving book seen through the eyes of a child with a parent in the service. My dad was in Vietnam and also wrote postcards, that I still have today. I enjoyed that the young boy and his grandfather bonded over memories. Passing down family history to future generations connects us through this massive universe and helped this grandfather/grandson connect on a deeper level. I think this is age appropriate without getting to much into the details of war. I think this would be an excellent edition to any library.

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