The Silver Donkey

About this book

"At once delicately told and deeply resonant. . . . This tender fable of peace will linger with both younger and older readers." Publishers Weekly (starred review) One morning in the woods of World War I France two young sisters stumble upon an astonishing find a soldier temporarily blinded by war who has walked away from battle longing to see his gravely ill younger brother. Soon the care of the soldier becomes the girls preoccupation but its not just the secret they share that emboldens them to steal food and other comforting items for the man. They are fascinated by what he holds in his hand a tiny silver donkey. As the girls and their brother devise a plan for the soldiers safe passage home he repays them by telling four wondrous tales about the humble donkey from the legend of Bethlehem to a myth of India from a story of rescue in war to a tale of a family close to the soldiers heart. From master storyteller Sonya Hartnett comes an inspiring tale of kindness loyalty and courage.