"Captain Rosalie" is set during World War I. Rosalie is a young girl whose father is fighting on the front lines, and the only connection between her father and her mother is through letters. Occasionally, her mother reads Rosalie letters, full of optimism and light, but deep down inside Rosalie doesn't want to hear those things.
The war made the atmosphere in Rosalie's village gloomy: the men disappeared; the women had to work in the factories; because of the lack of teachers, she had to study with upperclassmen...
When family relationships are broken, when the calm atmosphere that adults forcefully maintain day after day in the rear becomes more and more suffocating, Rosalie decides to carry out a secret mission herself: to find answers for everything.
In “Captain Rosalie”, Timothée De Fombelle does not choose to exploit the theme of war from an adult perspective like many other books before. War, in this book, is seen through the eyes of a child – a 5-year-old girl named Rosalie.
In the first person, the author lets Rosalie refer to herself as “I” and tell her story about her journey to carry out her top secret mission. By following her inner turmoil, readers will be surprised many times that she is not as carefree and indifferent as adults think. She focuses on observing everything around her and has her own feelings about it, and has questions for it. Adults cannot hide it from her sensitivity and ability to observe.
Like Rosalie, children have their own vivid sense of what is normal and abnormal around them, even when adults try to show them only the brightest side. And they have their own way of facing and overcoming emotions – even negative ones – with the resilience and courage of a pure heart.
Timothée de Fombelle is a French writer and playwright, author of many works familiar to Vietnamese readers such as “Vango”, “The Book of Perle” or “Toby Lolness”. “Captain Rosalie” is a book about children during World War I, illustrated by artist Isabelle Arsenault.
He is also a person who has a long-term relationship with Vietnam. Besides being an author, Timothée de Fombelle was also a French teacher who taught in Vietnam. His teaching experiences in Vietnam are also more or less connected to “Captain Rosalie”.
In the 2000s, Fombelle went to Vietnam to teach for two years in the Northwest mountains and Ha Long as part of a volunteer program with Enfants du Mékong, a non-profit educational organization that serves disadvantaged children in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and the Philippines.
Teaching ethnic minority children, he felt the love they had for school. From that experience, Fombelle realized that the true spirit of education is to give children freedom, to be themselves in the school environment, and that is why the author let Rosalie secretly carry out her secret mission in the classroom, a space he considered friendly to children.
He also said that from the days of volunteer teaching in Vietnam, bringing knowledge to children in difficult areas, Fombelle saw the great value of reading.
Just like Rosalie, a little girl who always wonders whether the letter her father sent back from the war is true or not; reading brings basic human rights: the right to read about what happens around, the right to know new knowledge and truth.
Although “Captain Rosalie” is set in World War I, for the author, the book is not limited to the theme of war but also reminds both adults and children that no matter who we are, we all have the right to read the truth!
The truth, which is already fragile to children, is even more strongly kept from them by adults when war breaks out. “Captain Rosalie” is a short story about the effort to find the truth, but also a journey of self-awareness, showing readers that in war zones, children are not only vulnerable individuals, but also voices that need to be heard.
“Captain Rosalie” not only gives readers a different perspective on war - a perspective through the lens of children; but as a children's book, it also brings necessary and meaningful lessons to children.
When published in France, the book received many positive reviews from readers. “With only 65 pages, the author has moved me like never before. Isabelle Arsenault's illustrations are beautiful, both dark and bright, like sowing hope in the dark night. This book is truly a masterpiece, a precious gem not only for children. I am truly overwhelmed by the emotional power that Timothée de Fombelle conveys…” - a reader shared.
“A story imbued with gentle sadness, with colorful, nostalgic pictures. Captain Rosalie is only 5 years old, but her eyes and mind are extremely sharp. The story makes us realize: there are truths that should be told, instead of trying to hide them to “protect” children… even though it may bring pain or loss later” - another reader wrote.
Not only the content, the book also brings emotions to readers through the illustrations. “A beautiful book, both in the drawings and the writing. Touching, delicate, and conveying so many emotions in just a few sentences” - a reader commented.
A book about the topic of war, seemingly dry, but leads readers into the emotional world of children, from which they can see how children view war, and also about loss and separation. A book worth reading with children, because it conveys a message not only to children but also to parents. That is the message that author Timothée De Fombelle sends in the book.
Source: https://nhandan.vn/ra-mat-dai-uy-rosalie-cuon-sach-ve-goc-nhin-cua-tre-em-thoi-chien-post896263.html
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