Captain Rosalie by Timothée de Fombelle, Isabelle Arsenault, Sam Gordon
Published by Candlewick Press on June 11th 2019
ISBN: 1536205206
Pages: 60
Goodreads

The illustrations are the first thing that will draw readers into this quaint novel set in France during WWI. Rosalie is at home with her mother and her father is a soldier fighting in the war. Five-year-old Rosalie creates her own secret mission; she is a Captain protecting her village from the enemy. She spends her days at the local schoolhouse being looked after by the school teacher so that her mother can work in the factory. In the evenings she sits with her mother and listens as her mother reads letters from her father. When Rosalie begins to read on her own, she finds out there are more letters that her mother has hidden from her. The illustrations are done with pen and neutral backgrounds, while the splash of color on the characters makes them alive on the page. Translated from French by Sam Gordon, this quiet tale of loss is powerful. Recommended for grades 5-7. 

 

Elizabeth Andersen, Librarian, Westbrook High School