"The Silver Donkey" by Sonya Harnett

"The Silver Donkey" seems like a simple children's book at first.  It has a great, animal-related title with cover art that suggests a fairly young audience.  Within the book itself the main characters are primarily children, and the narrative is set up with a series of stories being told within the story (all related to a donkey).  It's a fairly simple storyline.  I think that I could read the book out loud to my five-year-old, and she would enjoy it.

If you dismiss this book as just a simple children's book, though, you'd be missing out.  I read and enjoyed it as an interesting approach to an important period in history (World War I).  The writing is simple, but charming.  I would highly recommend it, especially for children learning about the World Wars, but also for anyone who needs a piece of hope within difficult circumstances.

To find out more about Sonya Hartnett and her books, click here.

If you enjoy "The Silver Donkey", I recommend "Once" by Morris Gleitzman, "The Firefly Gate" by Linda Newbery, and "Remembrance" by Theresa Breslin.