The Night We Made the Flag: Book Review

"Mary! Wake up." It s the middle of the night but I must go to Mrs Diamond's to fetch more thread. If I am caught we will all be in trouble. The night we made the Eureka flag is a night I will never forget.

Title: The Night We Made the Flag: A Eureka Story
Author: Carole Wilkinson
Illustrator: Sebastian Ciaffaglione
ISBN: 9781922179159          Language: English

Classification: Fiction
Type: Picture book
Themes: Australian history, craft, historical events

What's it about?
Told from Mary's perspective, this story focuses on the Eureka flag and how it may have been made. It tells a tale about the nights leading up to what became known as the Eureka Stockade. About how a group of women gets together to sew a flag that would unite the diggers under a banner.

I like that this revolves around a flag that actually exists. It is a simple story that doesn't pretend that it is history but does provide an opportunity for discussion around how accurate the tale may, or may not, be.

There is a definite need to reinforce with students that this is only based on historical events and that the story itself is fiction.

My Thoughts
As much as I like the story, my recommendation to other teachers/home-schoolers is to borrow it from the local library. My decision for this is based on the fact that while this book introduces a part of Australian history in regards to the Eureka Stockade, the focus of the story about the flag means it is just fiction.

The illustrations though are lovely and do support the story. If viewed simply as fiction it does spin a good yarn and you could use the book to kick start your students into researching the Eureka Stockade. It could also be used to look at fact vs fiction.

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