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Why? [Zachem?]

This famous Russian wordless picturebook is one of the oldest picturebooks in the selection, as it was published at the end of the twentieth century. It has been re-published many times since in many different countries: sometimes with words, and sometimes without. The visual narrative begins with a deceptively innocent premise: the disagreement between some frogs and mice develops into a violent, miserable war between two sides. The word of the title of the picturebook provides an obvious cue for discussion as the visual narrative progresses; as the sequence unfolds, the moral of the purposelessness of war and bloodshed becomes clearer and clearer to attentive readers. Although it will need to be handled carefully in a classroom context, this picturebook shows the power of the wordless form at its best, highlighting the power of dialogue created through the silence of a visual narrative.

Contains scenes of warfare.


Author/Filmmaker: Nikolai Popov

Age Range: 12-15 years

Year: 1995/2010

Country: Russia, Switzerland

Publisher: Mineedition

Length/Duration: 40 pages

Key Terms

European Narratives

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