1. Art techniques
2. Biography
3. Bravery
4. Danger
5. Death
6. Empathy
7. Historical fiction
8. History
9. Imagery
10. Letters
11. Loss
12. Multimodal narratives
13. Perspectives (Art)
14. Photography
15. Soldiers
16. Trauma
17. Violence
18. Visual literacy
19. WW2

Prepare for an unusual and perhaps a new reading experience with ‘Jacqueline: a Soldier’s Daughter’. This book has been described as ‘immersive storytelling’ and a ‘paper movie’, yet it remains a reader’s experience.

The story is based on the memoir of Jacqueline Ober, the mother of Pierre-Jacques, one of the authors of this story. These are his mother’s childhood memoirs, revealing her experiences during the Second World War as a soldier’s daughter. The story covers Jacqueline’s life between 1940 and 1945, when she was between seven and 12-years-old and living in France, North Africa and Germany. She dreams of having a little sister to keep her company. She is scared when her parents need to leave her alone—to go to war, forage for food and confront the enemy. Readers empathise with Jacqueline’s fears, uncertainties and loneliness.

The story is revealed through photographs of miniature figurines and settings created to draw the reader and viewer into the story. The highly detailed settings and positioning of the characters evoke a strong emotional response. As readers, we simultaneously experience an art book, photographic novel and a picture book.

French/Australian Pierre-Jacques Ober comes from a 30-year international career as an independent producer and director in film and television. Educated at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Jules Ober brings her musical sensitivity into the visual world as an image-maker working between Australia & Europe. She is involved in fine art printmaking, photography, film & multimedia production. Pierre-Jacques and Jules Ober together turned their creative energy to books, using a unique method of storytelling that uses photographs of figurines in miniature sets to create ‘paper movies’.

Jules Ober, who creates the photography, says ‘We always make sure that every image is a visual feast. We want the reader to linger on each photo to take it all in. Even though the photos are of toys, we have to feel we are stepping back in time. Each photo is infused with enough emotion to make it easy to forget that these are toy soldiers. The use of framing, depth of field, the decision to use only natural light at different times of day, and the very important step of making digital adjustments to colour and texture all helped us not only to capture an emotion with each image but also to create an overall feeling for the story.’

Essentially this is a story about childhood fears, needs and dreams told from a child’s perspective. Photographs at the story’s conclusion bring this story to life. Fortunately, this story has a happy ending unlike the stories of the millions who died during WW2.

1. Ford St Teacher’s Notes for ‘Jacqueline: a Soldier’s Daughter’ provide an essential and detailed insight into this unique storytelling method https://littlesoldierstories.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Jacqueline-Teachers-Notes.pdf
2. Little Soldier Stories website reveals the true story behind ‘Jacqueline: a Soldier’s Daughter’ https://littlesoldierstories.com/jacqueline/
3. ReadPlus 11 Jan 2022 review by Sue Speck of ‘Jacqueline: a Soldier’s Daughter’ https://www.readplus.com.au/reviews/jacqueline-a-soldiers-daughter
4. Reading Time 23 Feb 2022 review by Stella Lees of ‘Jacqueline: a Soldier’s Daughter’ https://readingtime.com.au/jacqueline-a-soldiers-daughter/
5. Ford St publisher’s website includes a review plus details about the three creators https://fordstreetpublishing.com/book/jacqueline-a-soldiers-daughter/
6. Kids Book Explorer Natalia Bragaru’s annotated bibliography: ‘The Ultimate Book List for Discussing War with Kids: A Parent’s Guide’ includes a large component of Australian children’s books as well as overseas titles for young people, including ‘Jacqueline: a Soldier’s Daughter’ https://www.kidsbookexplorer.com/best-books-for-discussing-war-with-kids-parents-guide/
7. Wikipedia ‘Wargame’ entry: ‘Miniature wargaming is as much about artistry as it is about play’ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wargame