‘Chesnut and Daphne‘
Children’s historical, poetry paperback book
Synopsis: Follow a day in the life of ‘Chesnut’ the Suffolk Punch horse and his best friend ‘Daphne’ the Land Girl, as they deliver milk to the local villages during World War Two. Based on a true story.
ISBN: 978-1-3999-2288-3
About the Book: This book is a historical, poetry, picture book aimed at children around 9-11 years old. Using the Gunning ‘FOG’ Readability Test and the Fry Readability Graph, the reading age is about 11. However, I think this is a book which can be read to younger children at bed time, for example. It will tie in well with the curriculum as children in year 6 learn about World War Two. This book aims to raise awareness of who the Land Girls were and about the Suffolk Punch horse which is category red on the Rare Breeds list.
Psst: No, Chesnut is not spelt wrong! When referring to the Suffolk Punch it only has one T!
About the Author: Holly Brega created a documentary, aimed at adults about the Women’s Land Army and the history of the Suffolk Punch Horse and it is clear that the future of these two important subjects is being lost. It is therefore paramount to share tales with the next generation to create that spark and keep these stories alive.
About the Illustrator: Commercial Illustrator, John Thurman has a passion for WW2, in particular Dad’s Army re-enactment and shares Holly’s vision to spread awareness of the Women’s Land Army and the Suffolk Punch horse to a younger generation. His expertise and knowledge has been invaluable during the process of creating this children’s book.
About the Land Girls: The ladies who were part of the Women’s Land Army were called Land Girls, and they took over farming the land when all the male farm workers had gone off to fight in the war. This book shows what the Women’s Land Army uniform was like, what the Women’s Land Army did and the jobs that the Land Girls did on farms throughout the UK.
About the Suffolk Punch Horse: Suffolk Horses are on the red list of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, which means they are critically endangered. There are less than 500 pure bred Suffolk Horses in the UK, which means they are rarer than the Giant Panda. This book shares information about the Suffolk Punch horse size, about the Suffolk Punch colour and temperament and we also learn why the Suffolk Punch horse was replaced.
Land Girl Adventures Publishing 