The Peach Pit Parade: A World War I Story

Polly felt everything change when the whole world got into a fight. A big fight.

In 1914, the First World War started in Europe. People called it the Great War. Three years later, it spread like
a plague to America.

When Polly’s father joined the army to fight with the Allied forces, he sailed across the Atlantic Ocean, all the way to France.

Food was scarce. Most of it was sent to the Allied soldiers fighting overseas. When the United States School Garden Army was created, Polly’s mother, along with many others, planted a garden. Not just any garden, a victory garden

Because of food shortages, people got creative and came up with the idea to have meatless Mondays and wheatless Wednesdays.

Even their Sunday family drives, which had always been done for fun, were put aside to save fuel.

Polly didn’t miss the drives. She missed her father.

The Great War cast a heavy shadow over America.It was a heaviness Polly felt in the pit of her stomach.
One that wouldn’t go away.