Memorial Day is often overshadowed by the beginning of summer festivities. I want to raise my children to observe Memorial Day as a somber day of remembrance for fallen soldiers, but it’s an overwhelming topic. How can I teach my young children how to respect fallen soldiers without talking about what it means to be a soldier and the pain and suffering associated? It reminds me of Corrie Ten Boom’s suitcase analogy– some cases are just too heavy, so we carry them until our children are ready. War is definitely one of the cases that my little ones are too young to lift right now.

With this in mind, Twenty-One Soldiers by Jeff Gottesfeld is an appropriate introduction to Memorial Day. It tells the story of the Unknown Soldier coming home from war. It tells a story of grief and courage in a poetic, readable way without being too graphic for my preschooler. The emphasis is on remembrance and honor rather than just tragedy.

Twenty-One Soldiers is one of those picture books that ages appropriately with the reader. Although it mentions some of the horrors of trench warfare, young readers can either not really understand what it says or ask questions, which parents can answer in the way best suited to each child. I am grateful for a beautiful book to help me teach my children, step-by-step, what it means to honor our fallen soldiers.

Suggested activities:

Take a family trip to a local veteran’s monument with your child. Bring a flower for your child to place.

If you feel inclined, practice the Pledge of Allegiance or national anthem. Briefly discuss what they mean.

Tell a family story about an ancestor who served in the military.