ANGEL OF KOKODA by MARK WILSON

Today's responses are to the poignant story, Angel of Kokoda, told through the eyes of a child along the Kokoda Track during WWII. Our focus was on how the author used a variety of devices to bring alive something of the past. The following are excerpts of Senior MY's writing.

Madi wrote: Mark Wilson has yet again written an emotive, soulful book that really makes you think. The themes of war and friendship were intertwined really well as each theme made the other shine. Talking about "shine', the illustrations were amazing. I loved the impressionistic feel to them and the vibrance of the colours added light to such a dark topic that is war......
Amber wrote:Kokoda, a very famous trail in Papua New Guinea, has had many different stories written about it, but one very well written story is "Angel of Kokoda" by Mark Wilson....in the story, the use of colour made a big difference and helped me understand the story better...especially the way black and white were used for emotion.
Rylee reflected: Kari and the soldier struggled through the jungle, over rocks and through the mud until they finally stopped, tired and sweating. A butterfly landed on the soldier's wounds as his breathing became lighter and lighter...a beautiful story about friendship and bravery woven together!

Carley thought: Combining the black and white images with the colourful ones was very clever as it told us which action reminded Kari of his mother....some images stood out to me such as butterflies and angels. These symbols represent a new life and freedom.
From Caitie: The author, Mark Wilson, made great use of effective action language such as "trickled","emerged" and "fluttered."
And Mairead:As sad as the story seems, the saddest, most symbolic and moving part for me was when the butterfly was like the dead soldier's spirit flying into heaven.