Looking for a heartwarming Christmas story? Try this historical fiction picture book about Allied and German soldiers in the trenches of France during World War I taking time out from their fighting to join together in song – “Silent Night.” A delightful book written from the point of view of a miserable British soldier’s letters home. A lovely story to share to put our modern lives into perspective. Text and gorgeous illustrations by John Hendrix. Find it at the EPO library.
I loved this book so much that I decided to share it with my intermediate classes before winter break. I found some great videos to go with it if you want some more visuals to accompany the story.
For a background of World War I, “The Great War,” start with this clip from History.com: Bet You Didn’t Know: World War I
For a dramatic reenactment, I found that this Sainsbury’s (a UK grocery store chain) commercial tells a nice story and leaves out the gory bits: Sainsbury’s Official Christmas Advert 2014. Sainsbury’s also has a “the story behind” video that helps to explain some of the finer points.
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