Timothée de Fombelle and Isabelle Arsenault capture the heart-wrenching cost of war for one small girl in a delicately drawn, expertly told tale. While her father is at war, five-year-old Rosalie is a captain on her own secret mission. She wears the disguise of a little girl and tracks her progress in a secret notebook. Some evenings, Rosalie’s mother reads aloud Father’s letters from the front lines, so that Rosalie knows he is thinking of her and looking forward to the end of the war and to finally coming home. But one day a letter comes that her mother doesn’t read to her, and Rosalie knows her mission must soon come to an end. Author Timothée de Fombelle reveals the true consequence of war through the experiences of small, determined Rosalie, while acclaimed artist Isabelle Arsenault illustrates Rosalie’s story in muted grays marked with soft spots of color — the orange flame of Rosalie’s hair, the pale pink of a scarf, the deep blue ink of her father’s letters. All the more captivating for the simplicity with which it is drawn and told, this quiet tale will stay with the reader long after its last page is turned. K-Gr 3-Rosalie is a determined young girl on a secret mission. Her mother drops her off at the school every day, so that Rosalie can sit in the back of the classroom and continue her assignment. As the days go on, readers learn more about the details of Rosalie's mission, like that her father is off fighting in the trenches, or about the letters her mother reads her, and about young Edward who may prove to be a possible ally. When the young captain is finally ready to start the last leg of her mission, readers are shown the true spirit of family and truth. De Fombelle has created an interesting plot with a surprising perspective. Readers are quickly drawn into the world Rosalie describes through first-person perspective and are left wondering what mission she is on. This perspective also allows for the difficult subject of World War I to be addressed at a child-friendly level, while not hiding the tragedy, as readers learn through Rosalie's thoughts. The story progresses at a nice pace, giving readers enough time to adjust to new knowledge and clues. Arsenault's illustrations help to amplify the world and characters around Rosalie, allowing readers to see into moments and some emotions that cannot be conveyed through words. Sometimes there are no words, only the illustrations, which also help pace the story and give readers a chance to gather their thoughts. Together, De Fombelle and Arsenault have created a persevering tale about a young captain and her search for some truth in the darkest of times. VERDICT A great hi-lo reader to introduce the destructive aftermath of World War I, and to learn how to deal with loss.-Margaret Kennelly, iSchool at Urbana-Champaign, IL The bright red hair of Rosalie and her mother seems to glow in the gray, wintry light of Arsenault's village scenes, likewise offering hints of life and warmth even in the face of terrible loss...A spare tale likely to engender deep, complex responses. —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) De Fombelle ( Vango ) sublimely crafts a taut story with expansive spaces between words, inviting readers’ creative interpretation. In similarly open-ended and emotion-charged art by Arsenault ( Colette’s Lost Pet ), Rosalie’s luminous, carrot-hued hair and determined expressions interject a promise of hope amid the darkness. A heartrending portrayal of resilience in sorrowful times. —Publishers Weekly Online (starred review) Isabelle Arsenault's watercolor, pencil and ink illustrations are stark, primarily black and white with small bursts of color, capturing the bleakness of Rosalie's village and the pain at the heart of the story. De Fombelle's brief tale is wildly successful in demonstrating that, when war is a reality of our lives, children can't be shielded from it; Captain Rosalie shows the heart-wrenching experience of a child growing up during war and the true cost of knowledge. —Shelf Awareness for Readers (starred review) Rosalie’s innocent but determined narration is delicately supported by Arsenault’s atmospheric gray-toned ink and watercolor illustrations touched with fiery rust orange that associates Rosalie’s hair with quotidian items that affect her interior life. The tale, a version of which appeared in The Great War (BCCB 4/15), is ultimately about children’s need for and resilience in the face of truth, and it should inspire thoughtful middle-grade discussion. —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Young Rosalie narrates this poignant story (which originally appeared in the 2015 short story collection The Great War) of war, loss, and resilience—and a child’s need to know the truth, even if painful...The book’s small, square format creates intimacy, reinforced by the open page design and frequent watercolor-and-wash illustrations. De Fombelle’s (Vango, rev. 9/14) text is spare, allowing Rosalie’s fierceness to sh