'It was 1914 when Sister Alice Ross-King left Australia for the war. Nursing was her passion—all she had ever wanted to do. But Alice couldn't have imagined what she would see. She served four long years and was brave, humble and endlessly compassionate.
'Using extracts from Alice's actual diaries kept in the Australian War Memorial, this story captures the danger, the heartache and the history of the young nurse who would one day become the most decorated woman in Australia.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
'British and Australian children's books about the Great War remain a steadfastly conservative example of popular culture, particularly when exploring war time nursing. The marginalized place of females in children's literature, the failure of the official histories to adequately acknowledge the unique experience of the nurses, and the popular focus on the battlefield have discouraged any sustained focus. This article will analyze how Hilary Robinson and Martin Impey (Peace Lily), Kate Simpson and Jess Racklyeft (Anzac Girl: The War Diaries of Alice Ross-King), and Mark Wilson (Rachel's War: The Story of an Australian WWI Nurse) have responded to this challenge.' (Publication abstract)
'British and Australian children's books about the Great War remain a steadfastly conservative example of popular culture, particularly when exploring war time nursing. The marginalized place of females in children's literature, the failure of the official histories to adequately acknowledge the unique experience of the nurses, and the popular focus on the battlefield have discouraged any sustained focus. This article will analyze how Hilary Robinson and Martin Impey (Peace Lily), Kate Simpson and Jess Racklyeft (Anzac Girl: The War Diaries of Alice Ross-King), and Mark Wilson (Rachel's War: The Story of an Australian WWI Nurse) have responded to this challenge.' (Publication abstract)
