Every November, red poppies appear across the UK as a symbol of remembrance. They are worn, displayed, and placed at memorials to honour those who died in war and to remember the lives affected by conflict.
For children, understanding the meaning behind this tradition can be challenging. The history is complex, and the ideas of war, loss, and remembrance require thoughtful, age-appropriate conversations.
A book can offer a starting point.
A Poppy Is to Remember, written by Heather Patterson and illustrated by Ron Lightburn, uses the image of the poppy to connect readers with the memory of war and the significance of remembrance.
Rather than approaching Remembrance Day through a collection of themed crafts, we can begin with the story itself. Its illustrations, imagery, and subject matter invite children to observe, reflect, ask questions, and gradually develop an understanding of why people remember the past.
Begin with the Book
Before reading, spend time looking at the cover.
Notice the vivid red poppies in the foreground, the barbed wire, and the soldiers walking through a muted landscape. The contrast between the flowers and the battlefield immediately establishes a visual tension.
Invite children to look carefully.
What do you notice first?
Which colours stand out?
What can you see in the background?
What might the poppies represent?
Why do you think the soldiers appear smaller and farther away?
What feelings or questions does the illustration bring to mind?
There is no need to explain every detail immediately.
Give children time to observe, describe, and wonder. Their interpretations can become the starting point for a conversation about the relationship between images, symbols, and meaning.
An illustration can communicate ideas that are difficult to express in words.
Read Like a Thoughtful Reader
As you read A Poppy Is to Remember, invite children to pay attention to the relationship between the words and the illustrations.
How does the text help us understand the subject? What do the pictures show that the words might not explain directly? Which details encourage us to pause and think?
You might create a simple reading journal with three prompts:
I notice
A detail in the text or illustrations that catches my attention.
I think
An idea or interpretation based on what I have read and observed.
I wonder
A question I would like to explore further.
Younger children can share their observations orally or express them through drawing. Older children might record their ideas and return to them after learning more about Remembrance Day.
The purpose is not to find one correct interpretation of every image. It is to develop careful observation, thoughtful responses, and an appreciation of how picture books communicate meaning.
Explore the Symbol of the Poppy
The red poppy is one of the most recognisable symbols associated with remembrance in the UK.
But how does a flower become a symbol?
Begin with the poppies in the book. Look at their colour, shape, and placement. Notice how they contrast with the battlefield and the soldiers.
Then introduce the historical connection.
Poppies became associated with remembrance following the First World War, partly because they grew in the devastated landscapes of the Western Front. Their association with remembrance was strengthened by the poem In Flanders Fields, written by Canadian physician and soldier John McCrae in 1915.
Today, red poppies are widely associated with remembering those who served and died in war, particularly in the UK and other Commonwealth countries.
Invite children to think about how an ordinary object can acquire a deeper meaning through history and collective memory.
You might ask:
Why do you think people chose a flower as a symbol of remembrance?
What can a symbol communicate without using words?
How does the meaning of the poppy change when we see it beside a war memorial?
Are there other symbols people use to remember important events?
For older children, this can lead to a discussion about how symbols develop and why communities continue to use them across generations.
Look Closely at the Illustrations
Ron Lightburn's illustrations provide an opportunity to explore how visual choices influence our understanding of a historical subject.
Choose one illustration and look at it slowly.
Notice the colours, the arrangement of the figures, the contrast between the flowers and the landscape, and the details that draw your attention.
Consider the following questions:
Which parts of the illustration are bright, and which are muted?
How does the artist use colour to direct our attention?
What do the soldiers' surroundings tell us about the setting?
How do the poppies change the way we see the landscape?
What might the artist want readers to notice or feel?
Children can then create their own visual response to the book.
They might use watercolour, collage, drawing, or loose parts to explore the contrast between a flower and its surroundings.
Rather than asking everyone to produce identical red poppies, invite children to make deliberate choices about colour, composition, and the details they wish to include.
The focus is on visual interpretation, not on making a decorative product.
From Story to History
Once children have explored the book, introduce the historical context that helps explain Remembrance Day.
The First World War lasted from 1914 to 1918. Its effects extended far beyond the battlefield, touching families and communities across many countries.
Remembrance Day is observed on November 11th, marking the date of the armistice that ended the fighting on the Western Front in 1918. In the UK, people often observe a two-minute silence at 11 a.m. to remember those who died in war and reflect on the human cost of conflict.
The book can provide an entry point into these ideas, but it is important to distinguish between the story's literary presentation and the wider historical record.
With older children, you might explore photographs of remembrance ceremonies, historical images, or accounts from people who lived through the war.
Compare what the book communicates through its words and illustrations with what you discover in historical sources.
What do the sources tell us? Which details are different? What can photographs, personal accounts, and memorials help us understand?
For younger children, keep the introduction simple and sensitive. Explain that people remember those who died in wars and think about the importance of peace.
There is no need to describe graphic details or ask children to engage with experiences they may not be ready to understand.
Historical understanding develops gradually, through stories, questions, and opportunities to make connections.
Create a Poppy-Inspired Invitation
After reading, offer a small collection of materials that allows children to revisit the book's imagery in their own way.
You might include:
Red tissue paper, translucent paper, and watercolours.
Natural materials for observing shapes, textures, and colours.
Sketchbooks and pencils for drawing poppies from observation.
Photographs of poppies and remembrance displays.
Clay or loose parts for constructing a three-dimensional flower.
Paper and writing materials for composing a short message about remembrance or peace.
Allow children to choose their own approach.
Some may want to observe the structure of a poppy and represent its petals. Others may focus on the contrast between red flowers and a muted landscape. Older children might create a visual response to the book or write a short reflection on what remembrance means to them.
These invitations connect art, observation, language, and reflection while keeping the book at the centre of the experience.
Words, Symbols, and Meaning
Remembrance Day offers an opportunity to explore language beyond vocabulary lists.
As children encounter the book, they can consider the meaning of words such as remember, peace, loss, symbol, and memorial.
Rather than simply defining each word, connect it to the story and the wider context.
For example:
Remember: What does it mean to remember someone or something from the past?
Symbol: How can a flower represent an idea?
Memorial: Why do communities create places or objects to remember people and events?
Peace: What might peace look like in our everyday lives and communities?
Younger children can explore these ideas through conversation, stories, drawing, and examples from their own experiences. Older children might compare different definitions or discuss how the meaning of a word changes according to context.
The aim is to help children build understanding through meaningful encounters with language.
Questions Worth Returning To
Some books invite us to return to the same page more than once. A new question or a little more historical knowledge can change what we notice.
As you explore A Poppy Is to Remember, consider returning to questions such as:
Why do people use symbols to remember the past?
How do the illustrations influence our understanding of the story?
What can a picture communicate that words cannot?
Why do communities create remembrance traditions?
How can we learn about an historical event through different sources?
What is the difference between remembering an event and understanding its history?
Why is it important to remember the human consequences of war?
These questions do not need immediate or complete answers. They can develop over several readings and conversations.
For younger children, begin with what they can see and understand. For older children, gradually introduce historical evidence, different perspectives, and the ways communities remember the past.
Let the Story Lead the Learning
Remembrance Day can easily become a craft activity centred on red poppies. Creating a flower can be a meaningful experience, but the book offers opportunities to go further.
Through A Poppy Is to Remember, children can explore how illustrations communicate ideas, how symbols acquire meaning, and how books can help us approach difficult historical subjects with care.
Start with the cover. Read slowly. Notice the images. Follow children's questions. Introduce historical context when it helps them understand what they are reading.
Allow the experience to include observation, conversation, art, and quiet reflection without expecting every child to express the same response.
The purpose is not to simplify the past into a single message, but to create an age-appropriate space in which children can begin to understand why people remember.
A book can help us look at history, consider the lives behind it, and begin conversations about remembrance and peace.
And sometimes, that is where meaningful learning begins: with a story, an image that makes us pause, and the time to think about what it means.
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