Good Night, Commander

Almost unbearably poignant, this collaboration by an Iranian writer and illustrator examines the horrors that war visits on children. Zahedi’s childlike drawings, done in pencil with occasional spots of color, use a bird’s-eye perspective to observe the room where the narrator lives with his father. The boy has lost his leg in the Iran-Iraq War, and has lost his mother, too; her photo hangs on the wall. He imagines himself as the commander in a war to avenge her death. “We have to be brave because there are so many bombs and tanks, maybe even a land mine. If we aren’t careful, we could die before we even get to say ouch.” Dreaming alone after his father reveals he will soon remarry—another blow—the boy imagines meeting an enemy soldier who’s his own mirror image. Instead of fighting, the boys share their troubles, and the commander calls for a ceasefire. “Congratulations, Commander,” he imagines his mother saying. A bleak tale, gently told, it’s best suited for children who already know something about war. Best of all would be if the world’s commanders read it. Ages 7–up. (May)