Barbara Emberley

Cheerful colors and stylized 60s drawings make a somewhat jarring counterpoint to the anti-war subtext. I have fond memories of this book from the library when I was a very small child, but I definitely didn't understand how grim it was at the time.

A colorful, playful, fantasy of a cannon shot. One does wonder why.

This Caldecott medal winning picture book describes the loading and firing of a cannon. It’s a cumulative tale of the military men, private to general, who set up and load the cannon, but “Drummer Hoff fired it off.” The illustrations look very much like a product of the 1960s. It’s a book that will best be enjoyed as a read-aloud. The entertainment value will vary with the skill of the reader.

This is a fun read-aloud book with repeating phrases. The theme is getting a cannon ready to fire, and each military character brings his component. For example, 'Sergeant Chowder brings the powder'.
The best part - the last page is a peaceful scenes of an abandoned cannon surrounded by flowers and birds.