The Soldier’s Gift
Tony Palmer and Jane Tanner
SYNOPSIS:
Emily knows her big brother, Tom, wants to leave Hillside Farm and go overseas to the
war, but Emily doesn't want him to go.
'Everyone else is going,' said Tom to Emily when their uncle was gone. 'That's not a good
reason,' said Emily.
The Soldier's Gift is a moving story of one family's courage and endurance during the
First World War, the terrible losses at Gallipoli and a time that changed Australia forever.
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WRITING STYLE:
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Contains two spreads of non-fiction background on WWI - covering at home in
Australia and on the front. Focuses in particular on Gallipoli and explains in
child-friendly language and in an accessible way the causes and outcome of the
war.
Contains a moving history of the Lone Pine story and the idea of the trees as
memorials to the fallen.
Themes include war, loss, family, childhood, the changing role of women,
memorials, history, conscription, nationhood and independence, WWI and
Gallipoli.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
After graduating from Monash University in 1985 with an honours degree in Graphic
Communication Tony Palmer has worked full-time as a book designer for various
publishers. He has also been a part-time typography teacher at Victoria University and is
currently undertaking a Masters in Art and Design at Monash University focusing on the
aesthetics of typesetting in Mandarin. As a long-time enthusiast of Australian History
Tony wrote his first novel for teenagers, Break of Day which was published in 2007.
Following this he wrote The Valley of Blood and Gold, published in 2011.
Jane Tanner completed an Associate Diploma of Fine Art in Printmaking and Painting
and a Diploma of Education. She taught for several years in Victorian secondary schools
before taking up full-time illustrating in 1984.
She is the acclaimed illustrator of the best-selling picture books There's a Sea in my
Bedroom, Drac and the Gremlin, The Wolf, The Fisherman and the Theefyspray and
Lucy's Cat and the Rainbow Birds. She is the author and illustrator of Playmates,
Isabella's Secret, Ride with Me, Just Jack, Love from Grandma and Lilly and the Fairy
House. She has won or been shortlisted for many prestigious awards, including the
CBCA Book of the Year Awards in the categories of Picture Book of the Year, Younger
Readers' and Early Childhood.
This much-loved author/illustrator is one of Australia's outstanding picture-book creators.
EDITORIAL COMMENTS:
A powerful story of loss and bravery in the face of war. The Soldier's Gift is one of those
rare books that shows us both sides of the experience - a young man's reasons for leaving
and the horror of war, as well as the heartbreak of being left behind.
STUDY NOTES/ACTIVITIES FOR TEACHERS
PRE READING:
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Look carefully at the front cover. When do you think the story is set? What can
you tell about these two characters from the cover?
Examine the end pages. What is the impact of these old photos, certificates,
excerpts from magazines etc? What additional information do they give?
THEMES:
First World War:
 Why did Australia go to fight in WWI when it was really a European war?
 Why would boys like Tom have been keen to go to war?
 Uncle Francis is worried that if Tom doesn’t enlist, people will think he is a
coward. Why were boys who didn’t fight given white feathers? What did they
signify?
 What was life like for Tom back home? How would it have been different as a
soldier?
 What was life like for the boys in the trenches?
 Why would Tom want to enlist even after hearing about all the boys who have
been killed or injured?
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Emily thinks that Tom is too young to go to war at just eighteen. Research what
age the youngest soldiers were. Why would these boys have joined up even when
they weren’t legally eligible to do so? What does this tell you about the boys what
does it tell you about the recruiting drive?
The end pages at the back show recipes for ANZAC biscuits and socks. Why did
people send care parcels of food and clothing to the men in the trenches? What
sorts of things did they include? Apart from providing the men with supplies,
what other positive impact did these care parcels have on both the senders and the
receivers?
How would it have felt to have stayed at home while your loved ones were
fighting overseas?
How did WWI change Australia forever?
Families:
 What sort of relationship do Tom and Emily have?
 What is the significance of the Cyprus tree?
 ‘Our mother planted that tree…She grew it from seed, before we were born, a
long time ago.’ (p3). How do you know from this that their mother is not with
them?
 What do you think happened to their mother?
 What were conditions like for people on the land at the start of the 20th century?
 Why might Emily’s mother have lost her life?
 How does Emily feel when Tom leaves for war?
Responsibilities:
 What responsibilities do Emily and Tom have on the farm?
 Why is Emily responsible for the cooking and cleaning?
 How would Tom’s father feel about Tom going off to war?
 What impact would that have on the family and the farm?
Letters from the soldiers:
 What do Tom’s letters home tell you about his time at war?
 What positive benefit would he have gained from writing home?
 Many of the boys wrote letters home, even when the situation was dreadful. Why
did they do this?
 What is the impact of including Tom’s letters in this story?
 Given the conditions illustrated and described, why do you think the idea of
mateship was formed so strongly amongst the men in the trenches of WWI?
 What did a telegram often signify during the war?
Activity:
 Tom’s letters are very short. Imagine that he wrote a longer letter that really
described his life in the trenches. Write this letter home to his father.
Loss:
 How does Emily react when she hears that Tom won’t be coming home?
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Why does she run to the Cyprus tree?
How do you feel when the Cyprus tree is destroyed in the storm?
How does Emily’s father react after Tom’s death? ‘I don’t want to hear about
Tom.’ Why might he say this? How would this have affected Emily?
Why does Emily appear to cope better than her father even though she was
obviously very close to Tom?
Do you think the fact that he has already lost Emily’s mother would have
influenced her father’s reaction?
Emily fears that her father will be angry when she plants Tom’s seeds, but to her
surprise he offers to help her. How does the planting of Tom’s seeds help the
family to recover?
Hope:
 Although this is a story of loss, it is also one of hope.
 What messages of hope are contained in this story?
 Examine the end pages at the back of the book. What do you think happens in
Emily’s life?
 What relationship do you think Emily develops with her father?
 In some ways, the ANZAC story is one of horror and enormous loss of life. Yet
we celebrate it each year as a positive event in our history. What aspects of the
ANZAC story are celebrated? Do you think it is a positive or a negative part of
Australian history?
WRITING STYLE:
Symbolism:
 How does the great storm mirror Emily’s feelings?
 Why does Emily plant Tom’s seeds on the site where their mother’s Cyprus had
stood?
 Why did the men at Gallipoli collect the pine seeds?
 Why have the trees that have grown from these seeds become so significant in
Australia today?
 The story is called ‘The Soldier’s Gift’. Literally, this gift is the pine seeds Tom
sends home. What other gifts might it refer to?
Illustrations:
 The illustrations in this story are stunning. How does their realism impact upon
the reader?
 How has colour been used to help convey mood or atmosphere in the
illustrations?