Young reader assesses World War I literature

By Betsy Anderson
Program Coordinator, Bells of Peace, United States World War One Centennial Commission

Brayden Turnage, 7, of Ashland, Ohio, got really interested in World War I this summer, when he went to a presentation about the Memorial. Then he found out that the Red Baron was real, and not just a co-star with Snoopy on the roller coaster at Ohio’s Cedar Point amusement park. An avid reader, Brayden has read several books about World War I that he found at his school library and on Amazon.com. We asked Brayden about what aspects of World War I history interest him the most.

Brayden, what surprised you most when you read about the Red Baron?

Junior historian Brayden Turnage displays some of his key research documents on World War 1. His airplane was a triple-wing. Usually other planes only had two layers on their wings, a top and a bottom, but the Red Baron’s plane had a middle layer.

What did you find out about animals that were sent to war?

The camels in the desert had to bring tired men or supplies. The same with horses. The carrier pigeons brought letters and notes from Headquarters and back, about if they needed reinforcements or more supplies.

You read a book about a hero dog, Sgt. Stubby. How do you think Stubby got to France? What were some of the things he did for his men?

I liked reading about Stubby. He got snuck on board of a troop ship that was going to France. He reminded his men of home, snuggled up to them and waited for medics to arrive. He made them feel safe.

Why did you get emotional when you read about Stubby?

It showed him when he had to get put down because he was getting old. But he led a great life and was a hero.

What questions do you still have about the war?

Did it take more than a year? How many dogs were there? How many different kinds of animals were there?

If someone wrote another book about WW1 for kids, what would you like to see in it?

How the guns worked, how long the war was, how many troopers died?

Brayden’s reading list:

• Who Was the Red Baron? by Baby Professor
• GI Dogs: Hero Pup of World War I by Laurie Calkhoven
• DK Findout: World War I by Brian Williams
• Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood by Nathan Hale

James Taub, the commission’s education coordinator, recommends the following books for children interested in the war:

• A Secret Diary of the First World War: Fact-tastic Stories from Scotland's History by Gill Arbuthnott, illustrated by Darren Gate
• Frightful First World War (Horrible Histories) by Terry Deary and Martin Brown

James noted how important it is to engage children with history while they are young. James decided at age 5 to be an historian after seeing the movie “Gettysburg.”