July 16, 2025 — It’s rare to find a children’s book about a terrible world war waged by adults. The Horse Soldier by Sandie Oreta Gillis is the first children’s book I’ve read about WW II as seen from the eyes of an innocent 10-year old. What makes it even more significant is that it is a true story of people some of whom are still around today. And so beautifully illustrated by Filipino artists from the Dimasalang III International Artists Group based in Vancouver.
Although I was too young to remember anything about World War II, I heard a lot about it from my husband Prod who was 10 years old when the war ended in 1945. For most of his youth, he lived through the ugliness of that war and suffered its destruction, inhumanity, and starvation but most of all, the cruelty of Japanese soldiers, the heroism of Filipino guerrillas, the kindness of neighbors to neighbors, and the generosity of American soldiers when they finally came to liberate the Philippines from Japan. All this was still fresh in his mind until he died.
My husband was born in Pampanga, home of the Hukbalahap (Hukbong Bayan Laban sa Hapon), a Filipino guerrilla movement started by farmers in Central Luzon to fight against the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II. His older brothers and almost all his male relatives were actively involved in this movement so he had a firsthand view of their struggles as he often served as gofers for them whenever they gathered to plan their attacks at their house often late at night. The guerillas were ill- equipped; their greatest weapon was their courage.
Having heard so much about the horrors of this war, it’s heartwarming to read The Horse Soldier about the uplifting humane side of such an ugly war. As its blurb says:
The Horse Soldier: A Wartime Secret is a beautifully illustrated children’s book that highlights a lesser-known story of bravery, compassion, and resistance during World War II in the Philippines. Inspired by the wartime memoir of the author’s mother, the story follows young Alice, a Filipino girl whose family secretly shelters a wounded American soldier, Lieutenant Edwin Ramsey. He led the last horse cavalry charge in U.S. military history and organized a significant guerrilla resistance against Japanese forces.
Told through the innocent eyes of a child, the story highlights the quiet heroism of Filipino families during wartime and the strong bonds of trust formed between civilians and soldiers. It offers readers a unique and meaningful insight into how war affects everyday life and shows how even small acts of bravery can shape history.
Blending historical facts with heartfelt storytelling, the book pays tribute to Filipino courage and the enduring solidarity between Filipinos and Americans. It is a personal legacy rooted in a mother’s memory, now passed down to a new generation of readers.
The book comes alive through the expressive story illustrations by Norman Belen, with cover, design, and layout by Mary Ann Manuel. Their creative collaboration adds visual richness to the narrative's historical and emotional depth.
Published by Carayan Press, The Horse Soldier: A Wartime Secret also benefited from the editorial guidance of Dr. Rey E. de la Cruz. The book is available for purchase at www.sandiegillis.com.
Editor of Canadian Filipino Net
Eleanor R. Laquian has written four best-selling books, and co-authored four others with husband Prod Laquian. She has served in various capacities at the University of British Columbia’s Institute of Asian Research as manager of administration and programs; editor and chair, publications committee; and primary researcher of the Asian Immigration to Canada project. She has a degree in journalism from Maryknoll College in the Philippines, and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of the Philippines. She did postgraduate studies at the School of Public Communications, Boston University in the U.S.
She has been researching and writing about Filipino immigration to Canada since 1969. For her Master's degree in Public Administration at the university of the Philippines, she conducted in 1972 the first, and up to now, the only nationwide survey of Filipinos in Canada. It was done by mailed questionnaires with self addressed stamped envelopes for replies and followed up by personal in depth interviews of respondents who agreed to be interviewed, Interviews were done on a two-week drive from Ottawa to Vancouver in the summer of '72.
Her Master's thesis was published in 1973 in Ottawa by the United Council of Filipino Associations in Canada. It was titled A Study of Filipino Immigrants in Canada, 1962 - 1972. As the primary researcher of UBC Institute of Asian Research immigration Project, she edited in 1998 a book titled The Silent Debate: Asian Immigration and Racism in Canada published by UBC. In 2005 she co-authored with her husband a book to update her MA thesis and titled it Seeking a Better Life Abroad: A Study of Filipinos in Canada 1957 - 2007. It was published in 2008 by Anvil Publishing in Manila.In 2023 she edited Indomitable Canadian Filipinos, a book on the 70-year history of Filipinos in Canada, published by Friesen Press in Manitoba, Canada.
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