With its wreath of red poppies, the stunning cover of Anzac Girl is a perfect introduction to this story about a brave young nurse and her experiences during World War I. Longlisted for the Book Links Award for Children’s Historical Fiction in 2021, Anzac Girl is a good example of the melding of fictional storytelling and historical elements in a narrative nonfiction picture book. This intertwining begins with the endpapers, which feature a collage of photographs, letters, cuttings from newspapers and magazines, along with Jess Racklyeft’s endearingly simple portraits of the two main protagonists – nurse Alice and her sweetheart Harry.

The combination of a fictionalised retelling and historical material continues in the body of the book, combining narrative text with quotes from Alice’s diaries, along with evocative illustrations and a combination of photographs, ephemera and realia. Racklyeft’s clever placement of images on the page also adds to the emotional impact of this story about the horrors of war, but with a moving romance with a poignant ending at its heart.

Anzac Girl provides many discussion points on the realities of war, particularly World War I. Written by Alice’s great-granddaughter Kate Simpson, it gives an insight into the role of women in wars and provides an inspirational role model, as in military circles Alice Ross-King – who also served during World War II – is Australia’s most decorated woman.

1. Allen & Unwin Teachers’ Tips https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Kate-Simpson,-illustrated-by-Jess-Racklyeft-Anzac-Girl:-The-War-Diaries-of-Alice-Ross-King-9781760637019
2. War Memorial of Australia, ‘Alice Ross-King’s Diaries’ https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C989482
3. Reading with a Chance of Tacos, ‘Anzac Girl – Interview with Kate Simpson’ https://readingwithachanceoftacos.com/anzac-girl-interview-with-kate-simpson/
4. Australian War Memorial, ‘Major Alice Ross-King’ https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P11013368
5. One More Page Podcast, ‘Branching Out: Interview with Jess Racklyeft’ https://www.onemorepagepodcast.com/episode-45/
6. So You Want to be a Writer Podcast, ‘Meet Kate Simpson: Author of “Anzac Girl: The War Diaries of Alice Ross-King”’ https://www.writerscentre.com.au/blog/ep-324/
7. Joanne Rossbridge, ‘Selecting and Using Picture Books for Anzac Day’ https://www.joannerossbridge.com.au/blog/selecting-and-using-picture-books-for-anzac-day
8. Did You Know? Education, ‘Alice Ross-King: An ANZAC Story’ https://didyouknow.org.au/alice-ross-king-an-anzac-story/
9. Reading Opens Doors, ‘Books for Anzac Day’ https://blog.readingopensdoors.com.au/?p=776