On a recent rare trip to an Actual Book Shop, I saw a display of classic children's novels, and this one was the only one I'd never heard of (I'd read all but three). I liked the concept so picked it up on impulse.The storytelling style here is almost fable, very much told instead of shown (with occasional emphasis for moral homilies), and a little distancing as a result. The tone is definitely aimed at easing younger children into some of the vast impacts of war, telling of its horrors and costs without dwelling on detail as a small family is broken apart and tries to find its way back together. It's less about battles and more about the aftermath of World War II, where cities lie in ruin and hundreds of thousands of people are displaced, and are either trying to make their way home or escape from it.I enjoyed reading it, but I suspect this would never have quite captured me unless it had been my first exposure to WWII as a very young child.
