Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Survivors Club: The True Story of a Very Young Prisoner of Auschwitz by Michael Bornstein, with Debbie Bornstein Holinstat

Survivors Club: The True Story of a Very Young Prisoner of Auschwitz by Michael Bornstein, with Debbie Bornstein Holinstat
Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Rating: 5 stars

This book was simply incredible. How could any book on surviving something as horrific as Auschwitz not be?

Michael Borstein was born in Zarki, Poland, in 1940, a year after his country fell to Nazi control. His father, a bold and courageous man, cajoled and bribed the Nazis in Zarki in order to protect his family in remarkable ways. But, eventually, his efforts ran short. His family was sent to Auschwitz when Michael was just a toddler. Thanks to the protection of his mother and then, when she was sent to a work camp in Austria, his grandmother, Michael was one of the 52 children under the age of eight who survived Auschwitz. 
 
I think young readers who already know something about the Holocaust, Auschwitz, and concentration camps will be surprised that Michael is released halfway through the book. The rest of the story is just as riveting--surviving the concentration camps was only part of his survival story. Staying alive in the weeks afterward by not overeating, not contracting any serious diseases, dodging cruel anti-Semitism, reconnecting with his family, returning to the place of his birth, and getting out of Poland, into Germany of all places, and then to America… There's a lot to this man's story. I'm so glad he shared it with the world.

Yes, this is a middle grade book. It is a true story, but Michael and his daughter admit to creating images and conversations that are based on fact, or inspired by fact, so those parts must be officially called fiction. You won't care. This account is simply riveting. I feel strongly that the book is appropriate for fourth or fifth grade students and older, and even better if read with an adult or near an adult who can answer those big questions, including the one that makes this book and the story of concentration camps relevant for all generations: How did this happen? And, an even more important follow-up: How can we be sure that it never happens again?

Of course the book is heartbreaking, but books that grip our hearts are the best kind, the most unforgettable. Michael's biggest lesson to readers is remarkably uplifting and empowering. His personal motto--his family's motto is: "This, too, shall pass." What a wonderful reminder to us all that all hard times, difficult situations, or challenging individuals in our lives will all pass. And to hang on and be strong until it does.

Here are a few of the MANY other middle grade books about WWII, the concentration camps, Nazi Germany, etc. A trip to your local bookstore or library will help you find even more:
  • Number the Stars by Lois Lowry *
  • Ted & Me (Baseball Card Adventure) by Dan Gutman *
  • Hedy’s Journey: The True Story of a Hungarian Girl Fleeing the Holocaust by Michelle Bisson
  • I Have Lived a Thousand Years: Growing Up in the Holocaust by Livia Bitton-Jackson
  • The Diary of A Young Girl by Anne Frank *
  • A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen *
  • Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli
  • The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak *
* Books I've Read


P.S. The audiobook is fantastic. Highly recommend for time you'll be in the car with your young reader/s, though it is a sobering topic.

Thursday, June 8, 2017

Dragons Rule, Princesses Drool! by Courtney Pippin-Mathur

Dragons Rule, Princesses Drool! by Courtney Pippin-Mathur
Little Simon: Simon & Schuster

Rating: 5 stars

My kids and I became fans of Courtney Pippin-Mathur years ago when we came across Maya Was Grumpy, a book where a girl's hair becomes wilder and wilder as she becomes grumpier and grumpier. With the help of one clever grandmother, both her mood and her hair are tamed. In addition to loving her work as an author/illustrator, Courney Pippin-Mathur helped me out at the Great Falls Writer's Day about two years ago, leading a workshop for young author/artists. What did these children do? They created their own dragons, then wrote stories about them. This book had just been sold, and dragons were on Courtney's mind.

But now, the book is finally out!

Dragons Rule, Princesses Drool! starts out with one small dragon, who wants to believe in his own strength and magnificence and importance. His flames "blasted into the sky, frightening everyone who came near!"

"Well, almost everyone."

"Well, almost everyone."
Except for two princesses. Our little dragon deems them "dangerous creatures" and watches in horror as his dragon playmates put on ruffled clothes and let the princesses fly on their backs. Although the dragons try the princesses's ways, they princesses can't seem to master the dragon's favorite things to do. They cannot eat dragon peppers. They cannot not burp. And they cannot breathe flames. Watching the transformation from mighty to silly of his dragon friends, our little dragon fears that the land will never be the same again--dragons will never rule like they once did!

He needs help, so he goes to the royal knight--who turns out not to care one bit about the princesses. He wants the dragons!

With all of his dragon buddies caught up in one big net, our little dragon has no one but the princesses to turn to for help. And you'll love how they help the dragons: with one big giant, flamey BURP!

The way this book plays on and dances around gender norms and expectations is cute and sweet and important. And, in the end, our little dragon is friends with the very princesses he first plots against. That sort of ending is not just satisfying for readers of this book, but also is pretty normal in real-life childhood adventures.

Friday, June 2, 2017

Please Please the Bees by Gerald Kelley

Please Please the Bees by Gerald Kelley
Albert Whitman and Company

Rating: I'd like to give it a 6!

I have 51 books checked out from our local library right now. We brought about half of them to the Oregon Coast last weekend--the hardback library picture books were augmented by paperbacks from our own children's library in an unsuccessful attempt to make my giant library bag a little lighter. Of all those books, this one is my favorite right now.

Meet Benedict. He's a simple bear. A creature of habit. Every morning, he wakes up at the same time. He stretches and yawns, opens his door, and collects the three jars of honey the bees deliver each day.

To fuel his day, he has toast with honey and tea with extra honey. Then he sets off practicing violin, baking honey cake, knitting, and running errands.

Until one day when there are no jars of honey on his doorstep. Instead, he sees dozens of bees, flying and steadying signs: "ON STRIKE!" No more honey. Benedict is beside himself. He doesn't know what to do, but he knows his days are impossible without his honey.

A bee buzzes up to him: "We need to talk!"

Benedict: "Talk? Humph! I let you all live in my yard. All I ask is for a few jars of honey. You should be grateful. Not go on strike!"

Bee: "A few jars? Buddy, we deliver three jars of honey to you every day. Every month! Every year! Do the math, Einstein!"

Benedict even learned how to harvest honey. 
At that moment, a lightbulb in Benedict's fuzzy bear head lights up. And he gets it. And as the bee explains the poor working conditions, high demands, the number of queen bees that have quit, and how many miles and miles they have to fly to find enough flowers to make their honey, Benedict understands the problem even more. At first, he's not sure what to do, although he knows--he agrees with the bee--that change is necessary. Then Benedict does some research, a little shopping, and a LOT of work.

The result? A spruced-up hive and a new plan of action where Benedict does a lot of the work himself. The bees drop their "ON STRIKE!" signs and get back to work.

The bigger result? A children's book that is up there with the great and clever classic Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type--both that book and this one apply a complex, usually-adult subject to a children's book in just the right way. Gerard Kelley created a book to put in the laps of children that inspires and teaches about the importance of taking care of the world's bees. But this book's illustrations go beyond Click, Clack, Moo...the illustrations of Please Please The Bees are sweet and gorgeous, clever and funny. They are downright perfect.

I only wish there was an author's note or resources on the back to show young readers what they can do to "please the bees!" But the Honeybee Conservancy has some ideas. Click HERE for them, right after you head to your local independent bookstore to buy this book.