Select one of the keywords
Midnight: A True Story of Loyalty in World War I    by Mark Greenwood & Frané Lessac Amazon.com order for
Midnight
by Mark Greenwood
Order:  USA  Can
Candlewick, 2015 (2015)
Hardcover
* *   Reviewed by Bob Walch

Guy Haydon raised and trained Midnight on his family's cattle ranch in Australia. When World War I broke out, Guy joined the cavalry and rode his beautiful horse into battle.

Specifically, this book is an account of the cavalry charge at Beersheba in 1917, which was one of the last great cavalry charges in history and led to the capture of Jerusalem and the fall of the Ottoman Empire.

Although a true story, this nicely illustrated picture book underscores the terrible waste of animals and their riders in wartime. Although this book is intended for readers in the 5 to 9 age range, I might think twice before using it. Some youngsters, rightfully so, will be troubled about the horse's tragic demise.

Just as bad things can happen to nice people, so too, we discover, bad things can happen to nice animals. I guess that's an important lesson to learn, but perhaps not at too early an age!

Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons.

Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews