Seventeen-year-old Jack left his boyhood home in England for Australia in search of adventure. When England declared war on Germany, he en listed, trained as a stretcher bearer in Egypt, and took part in the British in vasion of Turkey’s Gallipoli Peninsula. In the twenty-four days before he was killed, Jack carried more than three hundred wounded men off the battlefield on the back of a donkey. The text of this true story of heroism is simple and clear; the color and detail of the gouache illustrations, executed in Lessac’s signature primitive style, add depth to the story. 2009 USBBY Outstanding International Books, 2009 Children’s Book Council of Australia’s Eve Pownall Honour Book. ca

Originally published as Simpson and His Donkey by Walker Books Australia, in 2008.

Two unlikely heroes rescue hundreds of men wounded in war in a poignant picture book based on a true tale of World War I.

When Jack Simpson was a boy in England, he loved leading donkeys along the beach for a penny a ride. So when he enlists as a stretcher bearer in World War I, his gentle way with those animals soon leads him to his calling. Braving bullets and bombs on the battlefields of Gallipoli, Jack brings a donkey to the aid of 300 Allied soldiers — earning both man and donkey a beloved spot in legend. This engaging nonfiction tale includes a map and brief bios of key characters.
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