The Donkey of Gallipoli: A True Story of Courage in World War I by Mark Greenwood; Frané Lessac. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-7636-3913-6

This true story tells of the bravery of Jack Simpson, who with the aid of a donkey he nicknamed “Duffy” helped to rescue over 300 men on the battlefields of Gallipoli, Turkey, during World War I.

Medium: gouache

Rating: 5Q/2P

Literary device utilized: personification

Example: “Turkish machine guns snickered, whipping up spouts of water.”

Curricular connection: Social Studies, upper elementary school level

Theme: self-sacrifice

In this story, Jack Simpson repeatedly puts himself in harm’s way in order to save the lives of others who were wounded in battle.  In the end, Jack pays the ultimate price when he is shot and killed by a Turkish sniper.  Because of the efforts of Jack and his befriended donkey “Duffy,” hundreds of soldiers survived who may otherwise have perished on the battlefield.

* TOP TEN PICK

submitted July 2009 by Josh Mitchell  

Donkey of Gallipoli: A true story of courage in World War I, by Mark Greenwood and Frane Lessac, ill. Massachusetts: Candlewick, 2008.

ISBN: 978-0763639136

Annotation: Two young men who played together as children meet again on the battlefields of Gallipoli. A refreshingly even-handed war story, sympathetically portraying the soldiers on both sides, as well as acknowledging the animal lives involved.

Illustrations: gouache paintings

Curricular Use: 5^th-7^th grade; History/Social Studies

4Q/4P

DM 7/5/09