I have been looking for a book about this for a long time. This one is really readable and the pictures are really pretty. The kids will like this book and I can't wait to read it to them. I think I will be able to read it to kids as low as first grade.

As 2014 is the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War One, The Great War, many authors and publishers are coming to the fore with new books exploring new approaches to the old problem of war. This book chooses a different path through a story that many of us have heard of in anecdotal stories, almost myths, over the years, and it does so extremely well.

The Christmas Truce, the brief stoppage in fighting over Christmas in 1914, was a wondrous and spontaneous moment in time involving soldiers and officers from both sides on the Western Front. The book itself, written in the form of a fictional soldier's letter home to his sister, recalls his surprise at all the events that occurred, the joy and actual camaraderie of men on both sides during that time. Shephard has done his research.

This book is listed as for children ages 9 and older. Those on the younger end will definitely have many questions and will likely need an assist with some of the reading. There is an excellent summary of the Truce after the story. Adults will likely also learn something new...this one did.

In this day of what has become impersonal warfare with killing sometimes reduced to drones in the air, this book is an important one for today's children to learn a lesson about war and peace and perhaps begin their own internal thought processes about this important subject as they grow up.

An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley for the purpose of review.

A beautiful story with gorgeous illustrations.

What makes this story especially heartwarming, is that it is based on true events. A real Christmas miracle.

So amazing that this event didn't happen in isolation, but sprung up all over the place.

Beautifully illustrated book although not in any way realistic of the reality of that time. The way the book is written and the illustrations do not in my mind fit together. Let me explain. The pictures would engage a child aged 4-7 but the text is not captivating for so young a reader. Personally I enjoyed it and would use the book, borrowed from the library, with family but not buy it to keep.
The authors thoughts and reflections on peace and man's reaction to it are thought provoking and would be a good start to a written piece or art project with key stage 2 aged children.

A very complex theme set in an authentic historical setting and time. Younger students would enjoy listening to this book, but I would actually use this book with fourth and fifth graders to examine theme and/or the way that setting and perspective affect events and/or the ways that point of view affects the way that events are told.

An important piece of the history of WWI made very accessible for preschoolers and young readers. The artwork with subdued colors for the soldiers and warmer colors for the home front convey both the seriousness of the war and hope for the future. Beautiful!

A delightful telling of the story of the Christmas Truce in the First World War from the point of view of an English soldier writing to tell his sister about what happened.

The story is beautifully told and illustrated, a really beautiful rendition of those fantastic events when, in the midst of war, the spirit of Christmas overruled the fighting and peace reigned on the battlefields, if only for too short a while and men shared life regardless of nationality, creed or beliefs. The author's notes at the end of the book are also very pertinent reading.

I have read other books about the truce. Most of them pretty factual, but this book was written in a unique form that told the story as a soldier would have. I was not sure if this subject should be put in a picture book. But the pictures were warm and enhanced the story. This would be a great book to use to teach about the truce or at least about World War I. I loved the look of the pictures and the letter form.

Next I read CHRISTMAS TRUCE by Aaron Shepard. This was a children’s picture book that I got a pdf of from Net Galley. It tells the story of the WWI Christmas truce in fighting between the front lines of British and German men. This was a beautiful (and true) tale, with lovely illustrations by Wendy Edelson. Great for a read aloud to children!

It 's the perfect book to read this Christmas because in 2014 we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War. The story refers to the Christmas Eve of 1914 when the British and Germans signed a tacit truce on the Western Front and celebrated Christmas together in No Man's Land. Unfortunately I had never heard of this wonderful event: I think it should be told at school when it comes to the Great War, is a great example for humanity. But I wanted to know more and I did some research on web: there are several songs that tell the story including Pipes of Peace by Paul McCartney, whose video is just this event, but also movies and books.
In this wonderful novel, Tom is a British soldier at the front. On Christmas Ni while his companions slept writes a letter to his sister in which he tells the tale of which he was the protagonist. His enemies, the Germans had made a Christmas tree and sang ...........
It 's a book short but intense, heart-warming, full of hope, love, brotherhood and friendship. In these few pages is telling the true spirit of Christmas. To contribute to the magic of this book there are beautiful pictures by illustrator Wendy Edelson I love it.

There have been lots of stories and books written about the Christmas truce of 1914 that spontaneously occurred between the Allied troops and German troops. Now, Aaron Shepard has written another version of this astounding event.

In a fictional letter to his sister Janet back home in London, Tom, a soldier at the Western Front, tells her the extraordinary story of how the truce came about. Soldiers on both sides of No Man's Land, a space of only 50 yards, were relatively quiet on Christmas Eve day, waiting for replacements after heavy fighting and many deaths. It was cold and had snowed, so everything, including the soldiers, was frozen.

Suddenly as night fell and even the sporadic gunfire stopped, the British heard the Germans singing "Stille nacht, heilige nacht…" and saw that they had placed Christmas trees, complete with burning candles, all along their trenches.

Soon, the soldiers on both sides began to trade favorite Christmas carols back and forth across No Man's Land. Finally, the Germans invited the Allied soldiers to come out of their trenches and meet in the middle: "You no shoot, we no shoot" they said.

As Christmas Eve wore on, soldiers on both sides discovered they had lots in common. After exchanging gifts - badges and uniform buttons, cigars and cigarettes, coffee and tea, and even newspapers - the soldiers parted and went back to their trenches.

As Tom ends his letter to his sister, he writes: "All nations say they want peace. Yet on this Christmas morning, I wonder if we want it quite enough."

The Christmas truce of 1914 was quite remarkable in the annals of military history and some people even believed it never happened. But as Shepard points out in his afterward, the truce was reported in the British newspapers, photos included (and I found reports about it in the New York Times dated December 31, 1914). In this fictional letter from Tom, Shepard tries to clear up some false beliefs and misconceptions, all explained in the afterward.

Christmas Truce is beautifully and realistically illustrated in watercolor by Wendy Edelson, who has really captured the idea of the Christmas truce. The cold browns of the trenches gives way to color, first in the line of brightly lit Christmas trees across No Man's Land, with warmer and brighter colors added as the men get closer and closer to each other. Christmas Truce may be a picture book, but it is definitely meant for older readers.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the start of WWI and this Christmas will be the 100th anniversary of that history-making truce. It is nice to know that for at least a short time, it really was all quiet on the Western Front.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was an E-ARC from NetGalley

This is a great informational title to use with readers of various ages, especially in a social studies or American history curriculum.

Shepard has taken details from firsthand accounts of the December 1914 Christmas Truce and used them to create a picture book version of the events. Written as a letter home from one of the British soldiers, the story includes facts about life in the trenches of World War I - but without making it too frightening for young readers. Descriptions of the dreary rain day after day and the mud sucking at their boots constantly help to add realism to the scenes. Other things, like the fact that some of the German soldiers had at one time lived in England and worked or attended school there, might surprise students and cause them to rethink their assumptions that all Germans were "bad guys." The author's note at the end of the story builds on this and explains that short-term truces have happened in other armed conflicts in different time periods.

This would be an excellent addition to a unit on WWI. It could start a class discussion or even be used as a model text for students who are writing up their own narratives based on research into the war. I would recommend this for any school library.

This book addresses the subject of the 1914 Christmas Truce, a calm coming-together of individuals from Germany and the allies, in the form of a letter from a soldier. The letter is a clever means of covering the event in just enough detail to engage children learning about the Great War or reading for pleasure.
Wendy Edelson's full colour Illustrations have the naivety of style to suit young readers, contrasting the browns and greys of war with the bright colours of Christmas celebration.
The author has added a helpful note on the views of the event held by different historians, which could lead to a class discussion if wanted.

The Christmas Truce, the brief stopping of fighting over Christmas in 1914, was a wonderful and spontaneous moment in time involving soldiers and officers from both sides, British and German. They came out of their trenches, sang, talked, exchanged gifts and food. This book is written as a fictional soldier's letter home to his sister sharing the magic of that Christmas Night. It is based on recollections of soldiers researched by Aaron Shepard. As Tom ends his letter to his sister, he writes: "All nations say they want peace. Yet on this Christmas morning, I wonder if we want it quite enough."Christmas Truce is beautifully and realistically illustrated in watercolor by Wendy Edelson, who has really captured the idea of the Christmas truce. The cold browns of the trenches gives way to color, first in the line of brightly lit Christmas trees across No Man's Land, with warmer and brighter colors added as the men get closer and closer to each other. This may be a picture book but students studying WWI would definitely benefit from reading and/or hearing this story. There have been many versions of this story written, but this one is a wonderful edition to any library.

This book, written in the form of letter from a soldier holed up in a trench during World War to his sister is beautifully illustrated. The story made me feel as if I was there, and it brought tears to my eyes as I read of how the the fighting stopped long enough for the two sides to celebrate Christmas.

Since so many people have reviewed this story, I'd like to point out that the author has a web site that is worth exploring. You can watch as the Chamber Readers read the script for this book and he has included it so your group can group can do the same thing. There are readers scripts for other books, and you can watch him read his book, King of the Cats.

I like the story behind this telling of the 1914 Christmas Truce. I found it engaging and an easy read. The illustrations are colorful and enhance the reading experience of this book. I can understand why author Aaron Shepard chose to tell this story in a letter format-- children's books are shorter in length and the letter format allowed him to include a lot of information in a short period of space. I really appreciated the author's neutral stance in the narrative, allowing the reader to make their own conclusions regarding peace and war that seem to always challenge our world.I just wish the author had personalized the narrator's voice and experience-- perhaps tying the experience to his own family life and experience as opposed to just telling them the story.

I received a reader's copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Beautiful story! Will be happy to read to my students.

Christmas Truce by Aaron Shepard and Wendy Edelson was a retelling of the story of the Christmas truce in 1914 in which Allied and German troops ceased fighting on Christmas Eve and began singing Christmas carols. During this unique time in the middle of war, Christians joined in song and games. They shared stories of their lives and swapped details about loved ones back home.

Christmas Truce was a nice retelling in the format of a letter from a soldier in the trenches to his family back at home. The illustrations were beautiful illustrations setting the tone of the story as well. I’ve always loved this story, and I appreciated that at end of the story the author included some more facts about the Christmas truce, including what was real and what was fiction.

However, the format of the book was disappointing. Big blocks of text in a boring font were on one side of the page, and the illustrations were centered on the opposite pages, framed with white. This format made the book look at a bit awkward; it didn’t look like a delightful picture book and it did not do justice to the unique story and illustrations contained therein.

This is a fascinating true story, and I like that it was told in the form of a letter and watercolors.

I love this story. The Sainsbury's Christmas ad with this story makes me cry. This picture book...does too. Technically, it's too wordy for a child's picture book; it's more of a holiday read-aloud. I appreciate the author's research and efforts to bring this story to even more people.

I have always been facinated by accounts of the Christmas Truce. I love that this story was told as if it was a letter from a soldier, and the perspective he took on the event.

History makes good reading. Like the illistrations. Liked the characters and the story flow. Good read. Given copy by NetGalley for honest review.

Much has been written of the Christmas Truce of 1914, and now we see it in the form of a children's book. I would say this is a way of explaining war, or the truce, to children, though it's a book that can be picked up and enjoyed by adults also.

The illustrations are sublime and fitting, and the text simple enough to understand in the context and the message.

Not only would I buy this for children, but I would love a copy for my own bookshelf.

I first decided to read this book because the Christmas season is almost upon us (despite what most retail stores would have us believe). I've heard about the truce before, and was genuinely curious to see this interpretation of it. The story and images are very powerful, and a timely read, especially with the unrest within many countries and the various wars and militant attacks going on all over the world. Perhaps if we can all realize we're not all that different after all underneath our skin color, the world could find some peace.

This was a beautiful story, and it truly captured my heart. I remember learning about this in high school, so the real story is familiar. The story is told by a fictional letter from a soldier. I started to cry when the Germans brought Christmas trees to "No Man's Land". The watercolor illustrations are amazing, and really add to the story. I would recommend this as a great Christmas story at home, and would be great in school libraries because of the history behind it.