Published by Candlewick Studio Imprint in May 2019. Released in French translation by Seuil Jeunesse in October 2018 as Petit Soldat. We’re thrilled to be a finalist in the Children’s Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year, to be judged later in 2020. We’re also very excited that Petit Soldat has won the prestigious French Prix Sorcieres ‘Carrement Beau Maxi’ for the most beautiful children’s book in 2019 for children aged 9 and up.. The award is given by the French Association of Independent Bookshops and by the Association of Librarians. Some nice reviews below that acknowledge our labour of love over many years – with my talented friends Pierre-Jacques (writer & model maker) and Jules Ober (photographer).
Although it is based on a real story, the book has the force of a timeless fable, thanks to minimal, poetic text. Shallow depth-of-field photography by Ober’s wife, Jules, and digital enhancements by Felicity Coonan make the images especially lifelike. These striking miniatures have the power to put us in the minds of the true ‘little soldiers,’ the common men who fought in a long-ago war and yet whose story feels so present here. —The New York Times Book Review
…the powerfully atmospheric art compels attention. Riveting…likely to stir strong responses in reflective readers. —Kirkus Reviews Based on a true story, The Good Son is an emotionally rich account of friendship, loyalties tested, the horrors of war, and the price paid for choices made. Through spare narrative and intensely detailed photos of the miniature scenes created that make this book come alive, this selection is stirring on multiple levels. —Kendal A. Rautzhan’s “Books to Borrow…Books to Buy”
