Six Men

by David McKee

Overview

Six men have the power to choose between war and peace in this bold picture book.

Once upon a time six men searched for a place where they could live and work in peace. At last they found the land they longed for. But for how long could they keep their new land peaceful?

In this surprising book, David McKee explores the causes of war in a story even young children can understand. In Six Men he has created a myth for our time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780735840508
Publisher:	NorthSouth Books
Publication date:	10/01/2011
Pages:	44
Product dimensions:	9.60(w) x 7.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	710L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

David McKee is the creator of the enormously successful Elmer books.  His books have been published around the world and produced for television.  He lives in England.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"...this book is a visual delight." School Library Journal praises Elmer and the Hippos

Editorial Reviews

"...this book is a visual delight." School Library Journal praises Elmer and the Hippos

From the Publisher

Gr 2–4—As he did with The Conquerors (Handprint, 2004), McKee makes a political statement. The six men of the title are looking for "a place where they might live and work in peace." Although they find it, their new wealth brings worries. They hire soldiers to guard their property and eventually to attack their neighbors. The neighbors escape to the other side of the river and build their own army. Eventually, after each army shoots an arrow at a passing duck, both assume they are being attacked and a battle ensues. Everyone is killed, except for "six men from each side, who…started to travel the world searching for a place where they might live and work in peace." Cartoonlike black line drawings, some heavily detailed, some spare, illustrate the text. The causes of war in this story are so oversimplified that the explanation is perhaps condescending, even to young children. Better allegories, such as Eve Bunting's Terrible Things (Jewish Pub. Society, 1989), abound.—Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ

School Library Journal

A parable of war for young readers—and old ones, too.

Six men search for a place to live and work in peace. When they find the perfect spot, they settle down and soon prosper. But with the riches also comes worry. What if someone tries to steal their wealth? So they hire six soldiers to stand guard. But those soldiers grow lazy, because no one ever attacks. The six men, wanting the soldiers to earn their keep, order them to capture the neighboring farm. Thus begins a string of battles, fueled by greed and started over nothing. The final clash, spurred by two opposing soldiers shooting at a duck, not even each other, depicts streams of arrows flying high from both directions arching across the page, equal in number, equal in defeat. All that is left are six men on both sides, who trudge wearily away, searching for a place to live and work in peace. McKee, no stranger to teaching tolerance (The Conquerors, 2004, etc.) admirably believes in young readers' abilities to grasp large concepts. Of all the many things that war may be—foolish, necessary, patterned—misperception is almost always at the core.

Truly a worthwhile lesson for adults and kids alike. (Picture book. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews