Photo/Illutration A Christmas tree illuminated in blue and yellow, the colors of the Ukrainian national flag, in Kyiv on Dec. 19 (Wataru Sekita)

When Mamoru Suzuki was writing a picture book with an anti-war message, a real war began.

Suzuki, 70, was stunned by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.

He was about to complete “Senso wo Yameta Hitotachi” (People who stopped a war), illustrated with pictures drawn with colored pencils in a warm style.

I recently visited the home of Suzuki, a picture-book author also known as a researcher on birds’ nests, in a suburb of Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture.

I found numerous nests in rows in his atelier, warmed by a wood-burning stove.

Many of his past picture books are about life forms, such as birds and other animals.

But Suzuki said he had long ago decided to create a book about war, which destroys life.

His latest work is about the Christmas Truce, an unofficial and impromptu cease-fire that occurred along Europe’s Western Front during World War I.

The truce took place after warring German and British soldiers in the trenches sang “Silent Night” from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day in 1914.

This led to a temporary cease-fire and brief exchanges between the enemies.

Suzuki’s story reaches its culmination when some soldiers play soccer with a handmade ball, as it reportedly happened.

Suzuki’s original last sentence was, “There are many living things on this blue planet called Earth.”

But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine made him feel there should be a more appropriate phrase to conclude the story.

He thought about writing that a new war has started. He also wondered whether there were words that point the way toward the future.

His draft indicated he had written and erased the last sentence many times as he tried to find the right one.

After considering many ideas, he eventually decided on: “This planet does not need war.”

The picture shows people in various ethnic costumes holding hands while surrounded by birds and worms.

Birds’ nests and picture books have one thing in common: Picture books protect and nurture children, just as nests protect and nurture eggs and nestlings.

Reading the story about a “miracle” that occurred 108 years ago made me think about the battlefields in Ukraine, where it is difficult to protect even small lives.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 25

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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