Deer Godchild

In Short

Written as an epistolary novel in 1919, this book follows the transatlantic correspondence between twelve-year-old James Prendergast Jackson Jr. of upstate New York and eleven-year-old Andrée Leblanc in wartime Paris. After earning money through odd jobs to support a French child, Jimmy is dismayed to receive a girl who relies on literal dictionary translations and sends formal, effeminate letters. Through misread gifts, comedic arguments, third-party interventions, and the onset of American involvement in World War I, the two children navigate their misunderstandings to form an enduring bond across the ocean.

The Story

The story opens in late 1916 when James Prendergast Jackson Jr., a twelve-year-old from Greenville Falls, New York, responds to a charitable appeal to support the Fatherless Children of France. Jimmy resolves to raise the ten-cent daily cost himself through odd jobs like selling newspapers, chopping wood, and collecting scrap. He explicitly requests a male godchild between ten and twelve. Owing to a clerical mix-up by the relief committee, he is assigned eleven-year-old André Leblanc of Paris.

When the first letter arrives, Jimmy is perplexed by its overly formal tone and stiff language. The recipient, who writes using a French-English dictionary, expresses confusion over Jimmy calling her a "kid," mistaking the American slang for the offspring of a goat. Jimmy writes back to correct the misunderstanding while urging his correspondent to throw the dictionary out the window. Further confusion arises when Jimmy sends a baseball glove and catcher's mask for Christmas; the recipient mistakes the glove for a warm muff and hangs the catcher's mask from the ceiling as a decorative planter.

Disgusted by letters signed with affectionate French phrases like "kiss you with the bottom of my heart," Jimmy repeatedly writes to the charity secretary demanding a proper American-style boy who does not wear shawls or act effeminately. The secretary urges patience, explaining French customs and conventions. Soon after, Jimmy falls ill with whooping cough. Horrified by the news, the French child breaks a cherished porcelain piggy bank to buy a prayer candle at church, leading to a tearful confession: the child is actually a girl named Andrée who hid her gender out of fear that Jimmy would abandon her.

Once the truth is out, Jimmy decides to keep supporting her rather than let her be passed to an elderly donor. As 1917 progresses, the letters track real-world events. Jimmy describes his daily scrapes, school fights, local war preparations, and Hooverite rationing, while Andrée writes of her brother's army furloughs, rising food costs, and the arrival of American troops in Paris. A handsome American soldier named Teddy visits Andrée's family and begins helping her write letters, sparking Jimmy's jealousy. Jimmy turns to his neighbor, Miss Betty, who steps in to become Teddy's pen pal, resolving the tension. By the end of the year, Jimmy receives Andrée’s photograph, accepts her fully, and officially renews his commitment to support her for another year.

How It Unfolds

The pledge is made Jimmy Jackson resolves to support a French war orphan by earning money himself through odd jobs around his town. He asks the relief organization for a boy his own age, promising to send his earnings weekly.

The first mix-up The Parisian recipient writes back using a dictionary, mistaking Jimmy's use of the word "kid" for a goat and expressing confusion over American slang. Jimmy complains to his parents and the relief committee about his godchild's overly formal language.

A strange Christmas package Jimmy sends a baseball glove and catcher's mask across the Atlantic for Christmas. The recipient thanks him warmly, using the glove as a single hand-muff and hanging the face mask from the ceiling to hold climbing vines.

The confession in the church Believing Jimmy is dying of whooping cough, the godchild breaks a porcelain savings bank to buy a devotional candle. The local priest insists on a full confession, prompting the child to reveal she is actually a girl named Andrée who lied because Jimmy wanted a boy.

Wartime life and new rivals As the United States enters the war, Jimmy describes local rationing and enlistments while Andrée details civilian struggles in Paris. Tension arises when an American soldier named Teddy visits Andrée's home and assists with her letters, causing Jimmy to worry he is being replaced.

An agreement to continue After a local neighbor becomes Teddy's pen pal, the jealousy subsides, and Jimmy receives a photograph of Andrée. Realizing how much their correspondence means to both of them, Jimmy writes to the relief committee to extend his sponsorship for another year.

The People

• James Prendergast Jackson Jr. (Jimmy)

A twelve-year-old American boy from Greenville Falls who wants to do his part for the war effort. He struggles with schoolwork, relies on local slang, and initially insists on having a boy to mentor, but his stubborn dedication keeps him working odd jobs to send money every week.

• Andrée Leblanc

An eleven-year-old French girl living in Paris with her widowed mother and younger brother. She wants to help her family survive wartime shortages, but her fear of losing her sponsor leads her to hide her gender until guilt forces her to tell the truth.

• Miss Betty

A gentle young woman from Jimmy's town who lives on the hill. She acts as a mediator, helping Jimmy navigate his jealousy toward the American soldiers in France by corresponding with Teddy directly.

• Teddy

An American soldier deployed to France who meets Andrée and her family in Paris. He helps Andrée write her letters in English, inadvertently triggering Jimmy's envy before becoming a friendly link between Paris and Greenville Falls.

In Its Own Voice

When Andrée receives her first holiday care package from America, she struggles to divine the purpose of standard baseball gear:

There is one glove only, and I am fearful that the other rested on the road. But it makes nothing; I have not business of two, because one is enough big for my two hands, and it is a muff very warm; but veritably, dear godfather, you are big like giants, in Amerique!

Writing home during a bout of illness, Jimmy shares his distinct view on local war preparations and home-front antics:

Say woodnt Kaiser Bill look chepe if he saw a bunch of Red Skins beatin it after him? I bet hed run to beat the band, and I bet theyd catch him, and if they did, goodnite fer Kaiser Bill.

What It's Really About

Beneath its comedic premise, the book examines how childhood innocence operates against the backdrop of global conflict. It highlights the vast distance between American home-front enthusiasm and the stark reality of European civilian suffering during World War I. Through Jimmy's phonetic spelling and Andrée's translated French idioms, the narrative explores the nature of empathy across cultural and language divides.

The story demonstrates how small personal sacrifices foster real solidarity. Jimmy's motives evolve from simple boyhood pride into genuine responsibility, while Andrée finds comfort in a distant friend during air raids and food shortages. Ultimately, the book asserts that human connection relies less on shared language than on shared goodwill.

Why Read It Today

This short epistolary novel offers a lighthearted, deeply human perspective on World War I history. Readers who enjoy character-driven humor, historical fiction, and epistolary narratives will appreciate the distinct contrast between the two youthful perspectives.

The book's charm lies in its voice. Jimmy's letters are filled with phonetic misspellings, period slang, and constant complaints about school, while Andrée's letters capture the rhythm of literal French-to-English translation, complete with helpful footnoted explanations of her phrasing. Modern readers should note that the text contains period-typical attitudes, historical stereotypes, and informal spelling that reflect its 1919 publication date. Despite these dated elements, the humor remains effective, and the core dynamic between the two children retains its warmth and sincerity.

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