Books for ANZAC Day

ANZAC Day is coming up next Friday, and it marks two significant anniversaries: 110 years since the landing at Gallipoli of the first ANZACS, and 80 years since the end of World War Two, as well as commemorating all who have served Australia in war. The following list of books are about the ANZACS and Australians at war, whether in the various battles and theatres of war, or on the Homefront, such as the bombing of Darwin in 1942. Each one has been chosen from what I have read so far, and covers a range of readerships. However, I think it is important that readers of all ages read the books they have access to, and even the wonderful picture books listed here that I have read and know about can teach everyone something about what this day means to Australians and New Zealanders.

The first list is books I have read and reviewed that fit this category. There are many more, but these are the ones focused on Australians.

• On Gallant Wings by Helen Edwards
• Anzac Girl: The War Diaries of Alice Ross-King by Kate Simpson and Jess Racklyeft
• Never Forget by Claire Hallifax and Simon O’Carrigan
• Last Man Out by Louise Park
• Eventual Poppy Day by Libby Hathorn
• The Great Gallipoli Escape by Jackie French
• Rachel’s War: The Story of an Australian World War 1 Nurse by Mark Wilson
• Deadly Waters by Helen Chapman
• The Flying Angel by Vicki Bennett and Tull Suwannakit
• The Riding Gallery by Sally Murphy
• The Forgotten Pearl by Belinda Murrell
• The Girls Who Changed the World: Ming and Marie Spy for Freedom by Jackie French
• A Rose for the ANZAC Boys by Jackie French
• Harmony by Richard Yaxley
• Red Day by Sandy Fussell
• The Blue Cat by Ursula Dubosarsky
• Sydney Under Attack by Sophie Masson
• Interned by Pamela Rushby
• Those Girls by Pamela Rushby
• Secret Sparrow by Jackie French
• Animal Heroes by Anthony Hill
• Young Digger by Anthony Hill
• Soldier Boy by Anthony Hill
• Australia Remembers: Len Waters by Catherine Bauer

This second list is taken from the Storybook Showcase on the Australian War Memorial Website, showing that there are many more stories to explore as well,

• Alfred’s War by Rachel Bin Saleh
• What Will I See on Anzac Day? by Emily Elizabeth
• Meet the Anzacs by Claire Saxby
• Australia Remembers: Customs and Traditions of the Australian Defence Force by Allison Paterson
• Roly the Anzac Donkey by Glyn Harper
• Only a Donkey by Celeste Walters
• Wear a Purple Poppy: Remembering animals in war by Fiona White and Kathleen O’Hagan
• Jack’s Bugle by Krista Bell and Belinda Elliott
• My Grandfather’s War by Glyn Harper and Jenny Cooper
• Charlie’s War by Vicki Bennett and Debbie Taylor Worley
• Once a Shephard by Glenda Millard and Phil Lesnie
• Do Not Forget Australia by Sally Murphy and Sonia Krestchmar
• Bessie’s War by Krista Bell and Belinda Elliot
• The Rats of Tobruk by Mark Wilson
• The Horse Soldier by Mark Wilson
• Edward on the Somme by Don and Jacqueline Munro
• When the War is Over by Jackie French and Anne Spudvilas
• Meet Weary Dunlop by Claire Saxby and Jeremy Lord
• Two Pennies by Vicki Bennett
• Message in a Sock by Kaye Bailie and Narelda Joy
• Lofty’s Mission by Krista Bell and David Miller
• I Was Only Nineteen by John Schumann and Craig Smith
• Gladys Goes to War by Glyn Harper and Jenny Cooper

Adult books that look at ANZAC Day, war, and stories about the war for Australians, both fiction and non-fiction:

• The Crying Years: Australia’s Great War by Peter Stanley
• Sisters in Captivity: Sister Betty Jeffery OAM and the courageous story of the Australian Army nurses in Sumatra, 1942-1945 by Colin Burgess
• Australia’s Women Reporters: Boer War to Vietnam by Jeannine Baker
• Women to the Front: the Extraordinary Women Doctors of the Great War by Heather Sheard and Ruth Lee
• A Letter from Italy by Pamela Hart
• The Desert Nurse by Pamela Hart
• Sister Viv by Grantlee Kieza
• To Love a Sunburnt Country by Jackie French
• ANZAC Girls: The Extraordinary Story of our World War One Nurses by Peter Rees
•  

I’m sure there are many more that I have missed, but I have taken these from my own shelves, my own reviews and what I found on various websites. The Australian War Memorial shop has many other books that cover all sorts of aspects of the wars and conflicts to explore, and is a much more extensive list than I have compiled to explore for ANZAC Day.

Lest we Forget.