When her father went to war, she waited at home for his return and read the postcards he sent. He never mentioned any danger. He even sent some illustrations to show her the camp.

VanitaBooka and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It has been published so you can grab a copy now.

Thia is a collection of postcards the author got from her father. My father served in the same war but I wasn't born yet so his letters were mostly love letters to my mom. Vanita's letters are to a family and sweet in their own right.

When men go to war, you never know if they will return. Letters keep your hope alive...

I thought the concept of this book was brilliant.
It tries to make sense of the separations within families when a parent goes off to war.
Through linking it to an earlier generation where a young family received postcards from their Daddy during World War II, we are given the story of a Grandpa sharing his memories and letters.
The grandchild is coming to terms with his Mum being away on active service. Through a shared experience they are able to speak of war, hopes and fears and a desire this generation may find less destructive means to keep peace between Nations.
Aimed at younger children caught up in absent parents away at war themselves it brings issues to the fore. It also brings home the closer and more immediate forms of modern communication for staying in touch.
Beautifully illustrated with simple words it embraces the issues of loneliness, separation and fear they might not come home.
A book that works within the relationship shown and perhaps demonstrates the value of grandparents.

3.5/5

Heart touching story of Matthew and postcards from his great grand father.
I love illustrated books, and this one touches deep situations and situations childrens/families suffer when their dear ones are gone to war.
The pace was good, and language was easy, as it involves the child who goes under situations.
I also loved, how this story shows a women going into war, unlike all the other stories seen/read where Men goes to wars.

Received a copy from NetGalley in return of an honest review.

This is such a touching story of a boy and his grandfather bonding, and so much more. After the little boys mom is deployed he is sent to stay with grandpa. Soon they are bonding over postcards from World War II. They soon decide to create a scrapbook for the postcards from the past and the letters the little boy receives now.
A sweet and touching story of family and crossing the generational divide.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a great tool to teach children about parents who have to be far away due to military service. It has a grandfather that talks about his experience with WWII. This is a great book to open up discussion. I think it will be very helpful for military children.

I love the way this book depicts the generational bond and connection between the child whose mother is deployed and the grandparent who understands what that is like. Talking together about the many feelings that children go through when their parents are deployed is a healthy way to help them cope. My children were born after my husband's deployment but I still believe that this book would be beneficial for them because it helps them understand the many aspects of military life. I recommend this book for military and civilian families. American Heroes (and their families) should be recognized for their courageous sacrifices.

First I must thank Netgalley for a digital copy of this book. I loved this book and how it helps kids to deal with their parents going off to serve our country. This follows a young boy who spends time with his grandpa while his mom has been deployed to war. His grandpa shares stories about his dad being deployed and how he received post cards from him. This book is very touching and I recommend it everyone of all ages.

A unique reflection on World War II and present day families whose loved ones are serving overseas. A young boy and his grandfather bond over similar experiences during their youth. An inter sting addition to a WWII unit as it adds the experience of an military family's experience. The text is a bit primary for middle grades readers, but it would be a great supplemental text.

Personally, I found the book a bit heartwarming. It illustrates the anxiety of the people (in this case kids) left behind in military families and at the same time how the gap can be closed with something so simple as letters. Another things that I loved about the book is that it's inspired by the postcards and letters the author recieved from her father, Colonel Wilfred Bauknight and that the book points out the "uselessness" of war.

Good:

It discusses parents in the military. This can be a touchy subject to read as many military focus can be iffy when discussing.


The generic "parent at war" they don't write a specific war that his mother went to help with. This is good as it can relate to kids years from now with parents in a new war. Basically, allows kids to insert their experience with the military and wartime.


Discussion of emotions and showing them. The grandfather talks about how when he was a kid it wasn't acceptable to show emotions. They discuss crying and feeling upset about parents going off to war.


Easy to read fonts and ease in reading along with the story.



I love that the grandfather and grandson are bonding and able to talk about this together. They create their own memory book combining grandfather's letters from his father and grandson's mothers letters. Very sweet.


I love the balance of wanting peace and explanation in regards to war and what happens during it. The ending sentences show the grandfather is hopeful for a better time when there isn't need for war.


"Matthew," he said," if anyone can make that happen, it will be you and your friends. And you can always count on me to help you."

I received a copy of this through NetGalley.

I originally looked at this because of the title. I am always looking for childrens books that deal with issues for military families and this book definitely hit on that. I wish I had found this while my husband was still in the military.

The story tells about a boy who does not understand why his mom has to go away to fight in the war. His grandfather gets out postcards from his own dad that he wrote to him while he was away in WWII. The boys grandfather uses the postcards and letters to explain that people go away to war, that they still love their family members, and about war. It is written on grade level for younger kids and while my youngest daughter is at the higher end for this book, she enjoyed it. It is beautifully written and illustrated and easy to understand. I highly recommend this book for military families going though deployments who have children ages 4-8.

War (and serving in the military) can be a polarizing topic. Especially, when you consider how these subjects are viewed through the eyes of children who are more likely to question patriotism and pro-military propaganda. That being said, I think it is important that society respect those who go into service to protect others. Postcards from a War is an excellent resource for young readers to (begin to) understand what it means for family member to be in service; and to ask questions about the nature of war.

What I found very unique about this historic fiction novel, is that it contains genuine correspondence between parents in military service and their children. I also appreciate that this short novel portrays a mother and father in service; and also how correspondence have changed from postcards and letters to emails with images attached.

In summary, this is a great introduction to some heavy topics for young readers. It isn't graphic, or upsetting; in fact the overall tone is hopeful.

* ARC provided by the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review

Maybe it was me being Swedish and all that didn't quite made invest so mych in this book that it felt interesting. I appreciate the work of soldiers keeping the world at peace but I think this is a title better suited for American readers.

Nice illustration. And what I like the most is the story comes from real story. And I love how the illustration connects with the story!

*thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

5 stars.
An absolutely, BEAUTIFUL, heart felt story book about family and war. This true story is about how a father went away to fight in World War 2 and while there he wrote postcards to his son, letting him know he was ok. Years later, the daughter, all grown up with children of her own has also gone away to war. Her son, Matthew, left behind and worrying about his mother gets shown the postcards his Grandpa has held onto all these years. This helps him feel a bit better and soon he gets messages back from his mother, knowing she is ok. This is beautifully written and the illustrations are stunning. I highly recommend this book to all ages, not just little kids.

Impeccably produced and illustrated. More books of this sort need to come out that humanize a soldier's life on tour of duty and the tough living and emotional conditions for the family back home - not just of U.S. but the world over. A huge viral compilation of this sort will further the cause of understanding the nature of duty, but also, peace and futility of war. Since this is the first book of its sort that I've read, it felt beautiful. The artwork / pictorials by artist Mark Blanc fit in so well with the drawings of Col. Wilfred Bauknight to his children, and it all merged in seamlessly with the story. This is definitely a collector's item.

On the downside, the fact that Philippines was already under a thirty year occupation by U.S. when WW2 broke out and U.S. soldiers needed to be sent to 'defend' what wasn't America's to begin with (it was a battle for key routes and egos between Japan and U.S.), is something that needs to be discussed by the military men and women and their families too. The world powers have always used weaker despotic ruler states as their guinea pig experimentation farms, leading to more poverty, immigration and resentment in those countries. Why should American families have to pay the price for "what this country stands for." I see the same blind spots in Pakistani armed forces' families too. They just don't want to accept that they are being made to fight useless wars for arrogant, nefarious purposes, leaving behind trails of broken limbs, usurpation of civilian lands and budgets, and a lifetime of misguided, self-serving righteousness.

This graphic novel is a great way to introduce young readers about what is war and the people who sacrifice their safety just to fight and protect like our soldiers does. This is a light read; and both young and adult readers will like how well-written the story of this book and how awesome Mike Blanc did for the illustrations.

A beautifully illustrated book. Any amazing story about separation of loved one who are serving their country in military capacity and the families waiting for them back home. The story covers past and present situations of a grandfather and grandson.

I felt the beginning was rushed and I didn't really get to know the character before getting into the story. It was nice to have the Matthew's mother go into war, instead of the father; it's a good gender role switch and shows children that both men and women can go and defend their country. I also like how his grandfather could relate to the boy missing his mom. The pictures are pleasing and the spacing of words and paragraphs work well with this book. It was a beautiful story with a wonderful message and a pleasure to read.

This book covers a difficult subject for children at an impressionable age. I know from experience that children will ask questions to further their understanding and this book goes a great distance to explain the impact of having a family member serving in the forces. What is it like when they are gone and you are left to carry on with the rest of your family? The beautiful illustrations and simple yet heartwarming prose enables readers young and old to see this experience from the eyes of a young boy. This will lend great context to subject of war and absence in the classroom.