Discover the ANZAC Legend Through Children’s Literature

I have a relative who served at Gallipoli and so I was very interested in passing the heritage and story onto my children.

Author Claire Saxby has written a beautiful book about the Anzac Legend called “Meet the Anzacs” (part of the popular “Meet” series.)

She has researched the ANZAC legend through primary sources such as :

• soldier’s diaries
• letters
• newspapers
• original footage from 1914.

If you would like your children to learn more about the Anzac legend, you could start with this book.

The use of quotes throughout gives an authentic and relatable ring to the story. “I’m going to serve my country.”

“I need a job to feed my kids.”

“I want to see the world.”

However, war is not idolised.

The dramatic ending states: “War was like nothing they could have imagined.” and the simple yet effective last page illustration has a quiet, bleak looking battle scene as the Anzacs make their way in boats towards Gallipoli in small boats as we see the Turkish side getting ready to fire on them.

Illustrator Max Berry has also done a wonderful job of painting the ANZAC soldiers, managing to convey a sense of larrikinism and innocence.

A timeline is provided at the end of the book outlining the major events from 1914 when war broke out until the armistice on 11th November 1918.