Le Quesnoy

Le Quesnoy (pronounced Leck con wah) is a town in northern France. It is surrounded by high walls and deep trenches. In World War I it was occupied by the German army for four long years.

In November 1918 the town was liberated by soldiers from far-away New Zealand. Because these men used a bit of kiwi ingenuity they were able to take the town back without a single civilian life being lost. This has become one of the most famous stories in New Zealand military history and the relationship between Le Quesnoy and New Zealand continues to this day.

This book tells the story of Le Quesnoy's liberation through the eyes of a child living in the town at the time. Stunning watercolour illustrations and simple language make this an ANZAC picture book that young readers will be able to imaginatively engage with.

Glyn Harper is Professor of War Studies at Massey University in Palmerston North, New Zealand. He is Massey's Project Manager of the Centenary History of New Zealand and the First World War. A former teacher, he joined the Australian Army in 1988 and after eight years transferred to the New Zealand Army, where he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Glyn was the army's official historian for the deployment to East Timor and is the author of numerous history books. He has written a number of children's books, of which Le Quesnoy, Jim's Letters, Roly, the Anzac Donkey and Gladys Goes to War are the most recently published.

Jenny Cooper is an award-winning and prolific illustrator of more than 70 children's books and says she finds each title 'completely different and a new adventure'. In October 2015 Jenny was honoured as one of New Zealand's foremost illustrators with the presentation of The Arts Foundation Mallinson Rendel Illustrators Award. The award's patron Ann Mallinson declared her the 'perfect recipient', stating that 'whether a pencil sketch or a realistic, photographic based style, Jenny's illustrations jump out of the page with an invigorating spirit'. Jenny lives in Amberley, near Christchurch.

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