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April 5, 2002/Nisan 23, 5762, Vol. 54, No. 29
Characters help young people empathize with survivors
BETH OLSON
Staff Writer
Unfortunately, today's children and generations to come may never hear, in person, the testimony of a Holocaust survivor. Feeling a human connection is essential for creating empathy for the victims. This makes it even more important that parents have a library of Holocaust literature to share with their children.
Many Holocaust books are written for young teens - the age group that frequently reads "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl" for English class. While there are many wonderful books available for this age group, there are also quality titles available for younger children.
Reviewed here are two books for young school-age children ages 5-9 and a short novel for the intermediate reader ages 8 and up.
"Don't Forget" by Patricia Lakin, illustrated by Ted Rand (Aladdin, $6.99 paperback)
Every Jewish parent must face the dilemma of when and how to introduce the subject of the Holocaust. "Don't Forget" is the perfect title for this purpose.
Sarah lives in a post-World War II American neighborhood. She decides to bake a cake for her mother's birthday and takes her list of ingredients to the local shops where each of the shopkeepers gives her a secret tip for perfect baking with the caution, "Don't forget!"
Sarah is a bit uneasy about her final stop, Singer's grocery store. The Singers have their own secret that Sarah knows is related to the blue numbers tattooed on their arms.
When Sarah visits the Singers, they teach her that the numbers are not a secret and that it is important for all people to remember how they got them.
"If no one knows about bad things, they can happen all over again. Don't forget," Mrs. Singer tells Sarah.
This picture book is recommended for ages 5-8.
"Flowers on the Wall" written and illustrated by Miriam Nerlove (Margaret K. McElderry Books, $16 hardcover)
"Flowers on the Wall" is another picture book for elementary-age children that can be used to introduce the Holocaust.
Rachel and her family - brother Nat, Mama and Papa - live in Warsaw, Poland, in 1938. Their community becomes overrun with anti-Semitism and Papa's business is forcibly closed. Papa is hardly able to provide food for the family and everyone is forced to work. Rachel must stay home because she is ill, and when she finally recovers, her shoes are too small and the family can't afford new ones, so she has to stay indoors.
One day, an old man gives Papa some paint and brushes and, because they have no paper, Rachel and Papa begin to paint the walls of the apartment with flowers.
Rachel spends the rest of the winter (and the rest of the paints) covering the walls of their home with a colorful flower garden. When the warmer weather comes, Rachel gets a pair of hand-me-down shoes and both Nat and Rachel return to school.
Eventually, the Nazis occupy Warsaw and the story ends with the family being deported to the Treblinka concentration camp.
There is nothing graphic in this book, so parents can make the decision about how to explain the details of the Holocaust.
This picture book is recommended for ages 5-9.
"The Broken Mirror" by Kirk Douglas (Simon & Schuster, $13 hardcover)
This well-written novel by actor Kirk Douglas follows the story of Moishe, a Jewish boy growing up in Munich, Germany, in the 1930s. From the torching of the synagogue to the family's exodus to a rural farm to their eventual capture, Moishe finds strength in his relationship with his sister, Rachel.
The war ends and Moishe's entire family has been killed. When the camp is liberated, Moishe, no longer wanting to be Jewish, tells the Americans he is a gypsy named Danny. He is sent to a Catholic orphanage in America, where he is unable to fit in. Eventually, he develops a relationship with a young boy, named Roy. When Roy is adopted, Danny is devastated and runs away from the orphanage, ultimately finding his way to a synagogue and the open arms of the rabbi and congregation.
This is a touching story with an uplifting ending. Moishe's creation of a new identity for himself can be a starting point for parent-child or classroom discussion.
This short novel is recommended for ages 8 and up.
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