DS (5) has been given a book about WWII and the Blitz for homework - how do you explain?!

[greenlawn]

DS is in reception (5 years old) and his reading homework tonight was a book called "What Was It Like?" (Oxford Reading Tree 8?). He was quite comfortable reading it, but the themes raised lots of questions, as it was all about the blitz, children carrying gas masks, air raids and being evacuated. I've got no problem with trying to explain this, but it was very hard - while he might have known a bit about the war it would always have been in terms of soldiers fighting, not civilians!

He was a bit confused - he kept asking why would they attack people in London if they weren't soldiers?! What if there was another war and we got attacked? etc.

Would you try and explain? Ask the school for help? Has anyone come across similar? Are there any decent websites that would help to answer questions without giving him nightmares? Ta.

My son had that book in year 1 about six months ago and he found it difficult. It had my son in tears as he understood what he was reading. We wasn't so much worried about being fact, but he was upset by the fact that someone would diliberately set out to kill innocent children by dropping bombs on them.

I would avoid the web as it might have gory pictures.

as an aside my mum and her brothers loved growing up during the blitz, said it was exciting.

this bbc site may be helpful

I remember listening to children read this in Reception and then again in Y1 and them finding it very hard to understand. To be honest unless your child is really, really interested in it I would just let it go. There is plenty of time for him to find out about WW2 later. Though in my DSs' school for some reason they do WW2 in Y4, so they are only 8, which still seems a bit young for a lot of the information they learn.

A friend's dc is in Yr4 and they are studying evacuees; my dd who is in Yr2 has been looking at a photography book re The Blitz and has asked a lot of questions, some of which I've had to be careful in my responses.

Reception is too young to deal with the subject imo.

Thanks v much for your views - I'm tempted to think I've explained as much as I can without upsetting him. Hard to explain why someone might need a gas mask without going into details!

My daughter is now in Year 1, but young for her year. When we got to about Stage 8 of ORT, we found that a few of them raised topics that she really wasn't ready to get her head around. There's quite a few set in historic periods, including a civil war one that I found very hard to explain. "Why are the soldiers trying to kill her daddy?" says DD1. Um. No idea!

You need to bear in mind that according to ORT, Stage 8 is intended for seven year olds (www.oup.com/oxed/pdf/ORTReadingAges.pdf) So you need to be on the alert for subject matter that is not age-appropriate.

I have started reading her books before she does, so that I can send back anything where the subject matter is way outside her comprehension. We had a lovely book (from a different scheme) the other day which featured someone being "tortured to death". Her teacher agreed that it was not age appropriate and pulled it out of their system.

Thanks Smithagain, I didn't realise about the reading age but now it makes more sense - there have been a few books recently about imprisoned children and cruel uncles and emperors etc, but they seemed more fantasy-based - its harder when they are based on recent history ...

man, i have a 5 year old (not yet at school as we're in scotland) and i'd not be impressed at having to deal with this topic at this age.