After World War II ended, a Soviet blockade around the city of Berlin meant it was very difficult for the residents to get the supplies they needed. An airlift was engineered and the Allies were soon dropping food and provisions to the German people. One pilot was particularly moved by the plight of the children and ended up starting a massive operation to drop candy, via parachute, to the children of Berlin. This book tells the story of this morale boosting act of kindness.
I loved the premise of this book. I hadn’t known about this, and I’m a sucker for stories of kindness particularly in wartime or the aftermath of war. The book does have lots of photographs and bits of memorabilia from the time. Unfortunately, it just isn’t packaged as slickly as many modern non-fiction books and for that reason may not capture children’s attention. I think this book might be of greater value to teachers or parents to use with children rather than as an independent reading book simply because while the subject matter is fascinating and the book is simple enough, I just don’t think it’s flashy enough. I kind of want it to be republished in a more user-friendly format.
I would suggest this as a non-fiction reading option for Grades 4 and up.
Sex, Nudity, Dating – Some photos show shirtless German boys. The pilot was a bachelor and sometimes received perfumed handkerchiefs. The fact that a couple could not have children is mentioned.
Profanity – None.
Death, Violence and Gore – A child explains that Allied bombers killed some children’s parents and siblings. A letter to the pilots mentions that some pilots must have lost their lives. There is a mention of the bombing raids and how children were forced to take shelter to stay safe. Later candy dropping operations took place in “war-torn” Bosnia and Herzegovina, a place where “age-old ethnic hostilities…erupted into civil war”. A historical note about World War II has some facts about the war, including that 20 million Russians were killed, that the Soviets were merciless as they marched on Germany and that Hitler shot himself. Also in the historical note is information about the Cold War and the Berlin Wall, specifically explaining that the wall was manned by guards with machine guns who stopped anyone who tried to cross.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – None.
Frightening or Intense Things – There’s some brief discussion of the outcome of World War II but it mostly focuses on the “sides” rather than the happenings of the war. There is a hospital that treats polio patients mentioned. One little girl gives away her teddy bear in thanks. Missions were flown to refugee camps.
