“My grandad says there are two types of days: those you want to remember and those you want to forget.”

Kerry Brown

This is a powerful picture book about Anzac Day and a tribute to our service men. It is poignant and important. And though it is for children I felt quite melancholy and thoughtful afterwards. It teaches children (and any adult reading it) what Anzac day is about – going beyond delicious cookies and a public holiday.

It shows them in a way they can understand the importance of remembering those who were lost. One of the best parts of this book is the way it shows them in ways they can understand that there are good things and bad things in the world. It teaches relevance and empathy by comparing something scary like going to school for the first time to a soldier leaving home. It also covers the importance of relationships between grandparents too and will make make children understand a little of what their great grandfathers and grandmothers might have gone through.

The illustrations are beautiful and thoughtful. I liked that many of the pages were wordless; letting the pictures speak for themselves.

This truly important story will teach children and remind parents what soldiers went through in days past. It will remind us all to be grateful for what we have and to remember those we lost and who sacrificed themselves – lest we forget.