Walker Books Australia
March 2026
ISBN13:9781760657352
Australia RRP:$25.99
New Zealand RRP:$27.99
It’s not the only pieced quilt to survive Changi – read about the others at the AWM – but it is arguably the one that would speak most to young readers. Certainly, it strikes a chord for me as a former Brownie and Guide leader and having had all my girls in guiding as well.
Claire Saxby is one of our best at presenting beautiful narrative non-fiction and I don’t think there could have been a better match for the illustrations than Lucia Masciullo, whose work is always so evocative.
Elizabeth Ennis had been Captain of the 4th Singapore Guides before the war and when the women and children found themselves internees in Changi following the Japanese occupation, she duly formed the Changi Girl Guide company. This gave at least 20 young girls the ideals of guiding and, more pertinently, skills, patience and hope.
To surprise their much-loved leader the girls pieced together a quilt in secret using whatever scraps of fabric they could scavenge. What a testament to love it was and remains still, and how proud does it make anyone who has been a Guide? This is why the association has lasted so long, so globally and so outstandingly.
Much like Let the Celebrations Begin! – an enduring classic which I can never read aloud without the tears – this is a book that will help inform young readers about a dark time in history but also underline the resilience of the human spirit along with the innate kindness of the majority of people (no matter how it seems to the contrary some days), without being overly graphic or confronting.
Beautiful subject matter so tenderly written and equally beautiful artwork. Another glorious title from Walker Books and these two creators which easily deserves its 5 🧵🪡🏾✂️🌸rating for readers from Prep upwards.
Leave a Reply