Are picture books about such topics as war and homelessness appropriate for children? What role do illustrations play in mediating difficult topics for children?

Today many illustrators of picture books tackle subjects such as death, dying, war, and homelessness. Are these subjects appropriate for younger children? Maurice Sendak's Down in the Dumps with Jack and Guy depicts homelessness and includes images form the holocaust. Eleanor Coerr's Sadako illustrated by Ed Young tells the story of a Japanese girl who contracts leukemia and dies following the bombing of Hiroshima. Maira Kalman's Fireboat is a story that depicts the destruction of the World Trade Center. (Also see Sami in the Time of the Troubles by Florence Parry Heide illustrated by Ted Rand, Hiroshima No Pika, by Toshi Maruki, Rose Blanche by Roberto Innocenti.) Is there a place for such books in your classroom? Why or why not? If you decide such books are important, with what ages would you share such books? How would you introduce these titles to your students? Look at least one of the titles mentioned above. Note the illustrator's choices of the elements of art such as line, shape, color, and value or the content and point of view of the illustrations. What role can and do the illustrations play in mediating the difficult topic the book presents to children?