The War of the Buttons

The book of the French author Luis Pergaud entitled originally La guerre des boutons, translated into English as The War of the Buttons, is a great book for children aged between 7 and 12. The action takes place in France and presents the local “war” between the children of two villages. It might be said that it resembles a bit of the Lord of the Flies, but it has nothing of the drama and terror of the latter. In this particular story, rather, the author presents the question small boys have when growing up and the raw answers they discover on their own concerning the reason for going to war, military honor, as well as girls and growing in love.

Moreover, the book follows the economical development behind the military and presents both aspects at a very small scale that is easily understandable for children. Published in 1912, it is in fact a great analogy to the soon to be First World War in which ironically enough, the author was killed. However, in his much more naïve book, the “prisoners of war” just had their buttons removed and were covered in a moral shame of being in the middle of the “enemy” and being ridiculed.

In conclusion, the story is an easy and educational one for children, especially boys. It manages to express the innocent, and at the same time, raw cruel thoughts that the children are faced when growing up.