The Silver Donkey

Australian author Sonya Hartnett's writing is, as usual, remarkable. The art by Don Powers is fabulous. Like the tiny silver donkey in this parable I found that this book "twinkled and glimmered" in my hand. Not only for children, adults will love this book too.

My husband read this to our four younger children (ages 5, 7, 9, 11) just before Christmas. They all greatly enjoyed this sweet book that ties together several different stories with the donkey as the key focus. It has lessons on humility, sacrifice, and other positive character traits. While it can be a book for any time of year, I would particularly recommend it as a holiday book since it shares a version of the Christmas story. Sonya Haskins www.thehomeschooladvocate.com

A few of us inaugurated a book club for 3rd grade girls with this story and it was a great start for us. This story is beautifully written and has many layers, it was great for the adults and interesting enough for the girls, despite the backdrop of a war and subject matter that is difficult for young people to relate to: should you stay and fight in a war that has depleted you and made you question why you are there and hurt your psyche badly or go home to your family? There were a lot of unanswered questions at the end of our discussion. Who did the donkey represent? Did Lieutenant get home? Was John real or made up? What significance was the beetle in the end? Even though we didn't have clear answers, the girls were satisfied with the questions and were inspired to keep reading. All in all, a very good story to read with and explain to a child under 12. 13 and older can probably understand the subject matter and get more depth from it without a parent's input.

This book is beautifully written, whimsical, as well as touching and folorn. Children and adults will love to read this one aloud together. The author does a masterful job of creating a poignant and believable story told in a fable- or fairytale-like style. I highly recommend this book, and I would also recommend the hard-cover edition with the embossed silver donkey on the cover. It is lovely, well-crafted, and a joy to hold and read. I believe this edition best matches the style of the book. I am convinced you will want to read this one again and again. Happy Reading!

Two sisters from a French seaside town find a drifting soldier during World War I. Marcelle and Coco are fascinated with the blind Englishman and his good luck charm, a little silver donkey. Lieutenant Shepard has wonderful stories to tell about heroic donkeys, and the girls hang on every tale. Soon, their brother finds out, and he gets a friend to help plan the soldier's way home across the Channel. Knowing that the adults can never learn of the soldier's presence, the children take care of "their" soldier until he can leave. In return, they learn about courage and loyalty--lessons that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Sonya Hartnett has woven a charming story in the tradition of classic children's literature. Using gentle language, she relates the soldier's experience in ways that will leave no doubt that war is horrible, without scarring her young readers. The children are portrayed with a very real sense of wonderment, curiosity, and innocent sense of right and wrong. Reading THE SILVER DONKEY evokes a feeling reminiscent of THE SECRET GARDEN and other such children's stories from the early 1900s. As time passes, Hartnett is sure to be as recognized as Burnett. Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer 11/08/2006