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by Carl Gincley (Author), Julia Seal (Illustrator)
Little Shirley Poppy has a paper to write for her teacher about Memorial Day and the importance of red poppies. This has special meaning for Shirley because she is a red poppy flower. She asks her grandparents to help with the essay and the creation of a new poppy lapel pin. This story is a gentle discovery of how poppies are honored to serve as companions to people in observing remembrance. It is a story of sharing special time with grandparents. It showcases Col. John McCrae's poem, In Flanders Fields, that inspired the use of red poppies and a new poem is offered at the end of the book. We also learn about Moina Michael and Anna Guerin, who started the use of red poppies as a symbol of remembrance. The poppy family joins the fun of a Memorial Day parade as it marches past the USAA Poppy Wall of Honor, a monument in Washington DC. It features over 600,000 red poppies representing U.S. service members who died in the line of duty since World War One. The poppy family attend a remembrance service at Washington National Cathedral. In the story, Shirley learns the unique way the American flag is hung on Memorial Day, and about laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cementery. This book is intended to help expand the understanding of remembrance in a 'rethink' remembrance way. This book introduces a new insight about remembrance with the term: Love can build a bridge of memory. As long as we remember people who gave their lives to keep our country safe, they never really leave us, and our love forms a kind of bridge between us. They feel close to us in our hearts, just over the bridge.
