War and violence are integral to the history of Europe as well as its present, but the explicit representation of these themes can be challenging in a classroom context. This picturebook by French artist Olivier Tallec gently raises these themes in a good-humoured, non-violent way. Two rival soldiers sit on either side of a trench-like battle field at a standstill. The scene raises significant similarities to the First World War. This connection is made through a friendly, cartoonish, colourful manner, opening up the possibility for discussion of the real-life violence that the picturebook eludes. The tension that runs throughout the picturebook collapses at the conclusion of the visual narrative; the image pans out from the close-up of the two characters, and the reader realises that the pair are in the same arena, not on either side of a divide. The editor’s note at the beginning of the text introduces the historical context of the names: for this reason, the picturebook can be used directly to explore conflict in the shaping of European history.
