Year of the Jungle

Reach for this book when your child is struggling with the 'long wait' for a loved one's return or feeling anxious about a parent's safety while they are away. Suzanne Collins, known for The Hunger Games, offers a tender autobiographical look at her year in first grade while her father was deployed to Vietnam. It beautifully captures the confusing gap between a child's colorful world and the distant, grainy reality of war. While the setting is the 1960s, the emotional weight of missing a parent is timeless. The story moves through the seasons, showing how a child processes change and uncertainty. It is a vital tool for military families or any family experiencing a significant absence, providing a safe space to discuss the 'fuzzy' feeling of worry and the joy of reunification, even when things feel different than before.