A Poppy Is to Remember

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

Six decades have elapsed since the end of World War II, and the numbers
of surviving veterans are shrinking. While present-day children still
acknowledge Remembrance Day by participating in commemorative services
and wearing a poppy, the true meaning of these actions may not be
apparent to them. Patterson’s simple, brief text, complemented by
Lightburn’s oil-on-paper illustrations, tries to make the abstract
concept of remembrance more concrete for younger readers/listeners.

Commencing with World War I, Patterson explains how poppies grew wild
in the churned-up battlefields, and she describes how a doctor penned a
poem, “In Flanders Fields,” about the war and those flowers. The
poem is reproduced in its entirety. The next 16 pages speak to what it
is that we should be remembering when we look at a poppy. Interestingly,
Patterson’s words go beyond remembering just members of the armed
forces: they also extend to the caregivers of the wounded, those widowed
or left without a parent, and those who survived and have to live with
their memories. Lightburn’s illustrations (all two-page spreads)
depict scenes of World War II.

The book’s last five pages, which are illustrated with photographs,
focus on a more detailed explanation of “The Story of the Poppy” and
“Remembrance Day in Canada.” Recommended.