When The Guns Fell Silent

This book's twelve astonishing and compassionate short stories accurately capture the experiences of children as they face situations of conflict in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Colombia, Liberia, the Basque Countries (Spain), Northern Ireland, Israel and Palestine, Chechnya (Russia), Rwanda, Sudan, Iraq, and Sri Lanka. With superb understanding and sympathy, and without taking sides or being didactic, the stories provide sufficient background for each country to enable children to understand how misunderstanding, politics and historical circumstances can sometimes lead to fierce disagreements and fierce fighting and horrendous consequences for children. The stories movingly and skillfully portray the effects of war on the lives and minds of their young protagonists and, by extension, its effects on children in conflictive situations throughout the world. They also convey how affection and understanding can lead to the resolution of problems between people with different backgrounds. The author is one of Latin America's best selling childrens book authors.