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REGION: After writing more children’s books than you can count on two hands, war historian Glyn Harper has come to realise children love a story with an animal.
After writing more children’s books than you can count on two hands, war historian Glyn Harper has come to realise children love a story that features an animal.
This time, it’s a canary. Bobby The Littlest War Hero is Harper’s new collaboration with illustrator Jenny Cooper. It is based on a real-life canary that survived several incidents and saved the lives of many Allied men in World War I.
The character of Jack was created based on Harper’s research on the men – former miners – who laid explosives in tunnels under German trenches.
‘‘Together they go deep into the tunnels under no man’s land. Jack’s job is to dig, while Bobby’s job is to warn the men to get out quickly when there’s dangerous gas. Bobby’s warnings save the tunnellers’ lives again and again.’’
Harper is a professor of war studies and project manager of the Centenary History of New Zealand and World War I at Massey University in Palmerston North.
Formerly a teacher, Harper enjoys taking a break from writing adult nonfiction to write children’s books and sees them as an educational tool.
‘‘I think history is immensely important. Having a sense of the past and what has created the nation as it is today is very important for young people. If stories can do that, I think they are serving a good purpose. They need to tell a good story, but if they can explain something too, then that is great.’’
In 2015, Glyn and Cooper won the Best Picture Book Award at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults and have created five books together. Harper said they work well together and he hopes they can continue to do so. ‘‘I have many, many ideas. I just need the time to write them.’’
Cooper has illustrated more than 70 children’s books and said she finds each title ‘‘completely different and a new adventure’’. Both Harper and Cooper will launch the book at Palmerston North’s Riverdale School on March 9.