A Fable for Yom HaShoah

There are many stories we tell to ensure that the Holocaust will never be forgotten. Some are dark, like Elie Wiesel's Night, and some are stories of hope, like Lois Lowry's Number the Stars. This spring, we are proud to offer a book that shows the power of bravery and the importance of never forgetting.

An old man, known as the Wren, plays his hurdy-gurdy, and with the help of his student, the Sparrow, brings hope and inspiration to the people of a small Polish town during the Holocaust. This beautifully illustrated fable by US Children's Poet Laureate (2011-2013) J. Patrick Lewis weaves a lyrical and elegant tale of a mysterious musician and the trusted young friend who rescues the hurdy-gurdy and hides it from its intended fate at the hands of the Nazis. The richly colored illustrations are by award-winning Russian painter and stage designer Yevgenia Nayberg.

This story is a work of imagination inspired by the street performers of the Lodz Ghetto. In the city of Lodz, as in Jewish communities throughout Europe, the Jews were rounded up and packed into a fenced section of Lodz, which became known as the Lodz Ghetto.

In 1940, the Lodz Ghetto, one of the largest ghettos in Europe, held 230,000 people. Six years later, in 1945, when the Soviet Army liberated the city, fewer than 1000 of Lodz’s Jewish community had survived the Nazi horrors.

Music was part of the life of the ghettos, helping to sustain the spirits of the Jewish community in those dark days. Street performers, including children, sang or played music in exchange for a coin, a bit of food, or often nothing at all. Like the Wren, these performers resisted the Nazis with their songs, offering a glimmer of a better world.

As in this story, some of the musical instruments played in the ghettos and concentration camps survived the Holocaust; most of their owners did not. But their music inspired both adults and children to believe that, even in the bleak world of the Shoah, beauty and hope for humanity still lived.

Author Jennifer Elvgren Finds Inspiration in Stories of Bravery

In this week's guest blog post, author Jennifer Elvgren talks about what inspired her to write The Whispering Town.

In The Whispering Town, it is 1943 in Nazi-occupied Denmark. Anett and her parents are hiding a Jewish woman and her son, Carl, in their cellar until a fishing boat can take them across the sound to safety in neutral Sweden. With the help of the baker, the librarian, the farmer, and her neighbors, Anett keeps Carl and his mother safe even as Nazi soldiers search her street for hidden Jews. With the Nazis closing in, and worried about Carl's safety, Anett thinks of a clever and unusual plan to get Carl and his mother safely to the harbor on a cloudy night without the moon to guide them.

See the book trailer, with illustrations by Fabio Santomauro, here.

"I have always been drawn to Holocaust literature. As a child, my grandmother shared her copy of Corrie ten Boom's The Hiding Place with me: my mother, her copy of Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl.

Reading them from cover to cover, I lingered especially on the photos and sketches provided in the front of both editions. I practiced pronouncing the names and places foreign to my tongue such as The Beje (pronounced bay-yay), the name of the ten Booms' house.

Studying the floor plans of The Beje and 263 Prinsengracht (the office building where the Franks and the Van Daans hid for just over two years), I tried to understand where the hiding places were; how they were entered; how little room they provided; and how many people shared those small, secret spaces.

The photos of Corrie ten Boom and Anne Frank captured me. How could they be so brave? How could Corrie keep calm and collected when a German soldier burst into her father's clock shop at night and demanded to go upstairs to their living quarters that currently housed their family and seven permanent Jewish guests? How could Anne, who needed to run outside and feel the sun on her face as every child should, turn her attention to indoor, silent pursuits day after day, month after month, when she felt her limbs stiffening?

Over the years I continued to ponder these books as I finished college, then graduate school. I worked as a print journalist for a number of years before I began writing exclusively for children. Around that time another nonfiction Holocaust book was published, Ellen Levine's Darkness Over Denmark. This book told the story of the Danish resistance and how the Danes worked together to smuggle nearly all of the 8,000 Danish Jews out of the country.

About 1,700 Jews escaped from the small fishing village of Gilleleje. One moonless night, the town's citizens whispered directions to a man making his way to the harbor. That image moved me deeply. A story seed was planted in my mind, and I knew I wanted to write about the Holocaust for younger readers.

The Whispering Town's title came first, followed by the characters. Anett appeared, then Carl. As they started to move through the story set in Gilleleje (pronounced GeeLAYleh), I imagined a hiding place, bravery, friendship, and hope.

It became imperative for Anett to bring comfort to Carl and his mama in their cellar hiding place int he form of visits, good food, and books. When she came face to face with Nazi soldiers at her own door, I knew Anett had to be calm and collected so that she did not give away her friends in the cellar.

Facing a moonless night, I wanted Anett to be part of the solution, arranging for a chain of whispering voices to guide Carl and his mama to the harbor. The hope of escape and reuniting Carl with his papa in Sweden sealed Anett's and Carl's friendship forever."

In honor of Remembrance Day, Jennifer is giving away a signed hardcover copy of The Whispering Town. Visit her Facebook author page here and either like or leave a comment on the book give-away post. The winner will be drawn on May 1.

Praise for The Whispering Town

"Santomauro's thoughtful illustrations, with their restrained colors, subtly remind the reader of the village’s determined solidarity." -- The New York Times Book Review

"The direct simplicity of the story’s telling serves well as an introduction for younger children to the Holocaust. Dark cartoon sketches reminiscent of Tomi Ungerer in opaque black, blues, grays and khaki green markers and word bubbles with the key words of direction paint the ominous atmosphere. This uncomplicated narrative of Danish resistance will facilitate teaching and discussion of a difficult yet necessary subject." -- Kirkus Reviews

Kar-Ben Rings in 2014 with New Books!

We here at Kar-Ben are incredibly excited for our Spring 2014 titles. We have great new stories for all occasions, from Tu B'Shevat to Passover, from bagel-making to recycling. Here's a sneak peak at what 2014 will offer:

For Tu B'Shevat

A little girl and her plant grow up together, sharing many a Tu B'Shevat.

On Tu B’Sheva, little Netta, who lives in Israel, brings a plant home from preschool. She loves it. Netta grows and the plant grows, until it is time for both of them to find new homes and new friends. Netta and Her Plant tells the story of the changes Netta encounters as she grows  up, getting taller getting a new baby sister, and preparing for her first day of kindergarten at her new school, each stage of her life mirrored by her growing plant.

For Passover

The littlest Levine finally gets her chance to shine!

Hannah hates being the littlest Levine. She can’t ride the school bus like her sister and brother. During Sukkot, she needs help hanging her decorations in the Sukkah, and on Hanukkah she’s not allowed to light candles by herself. “Be patient,” her grandpa tells her, “soon you’ll be proud to be the littlest Levine.” Every evening in the weeks before Passover, she studies with her grandpa, and when the seder comes, it’s finally Hannah’s turn to shine!

Rabbi Jamie leads a unique seder in the desert of Moab, Utah.

Seder in the Desert invites you to join a group of families as they follow Rabbi Jamie into Moav, Utah to celebrate a most unusual Passover seder in the desert. As they hike through the sandstone and red rock desert, they learn important lessons about the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt, such as the importance of helping one another. Together, the community hikes, learns, laughs, sings, debates, and enjoys the delicious Passover seder meal. The story is accompanied by photos of the celebration as well as stunning desert scenery by award-winning photographer Jeff Finkelstein.

For Yom HaShoah

A young girl helps accomplish an astonishing rescue in Nazi-occupied Denmark.

In The Whispering Town it is 1943 in Nazi-occupied Denmark. Anett and her parents are hiding a Jewish woman and her son, Carl, in their cellar until a fishing boat can take them across the sound to safety in neutral Sweden. With the help of the baker, the librarian, the farmer, and her neighbors, Anett keeps Carl and his mother safe even as Nazi soldiers search her street for hidden Jews. With the Nazis closing in, and worried about Carl’s safety, Anett thinks of a clever and unusual plan to get Carl and his mother safely to the harbor on a cloudy night without the moon to guide them. Based on a true story.

For Lag Ba'Omer

Sadie and Ori solve the mystery of Lag Ba'Omer!

“What is Lag Ba’Omer?” Sadie and Ori ask their grandfather in Sadie’s Lag Ba’Omer Mystery. He sends them off on a mission to solve the puzzle. After checking calendars and books and asking many different “holiday experts,” including the mailman, Aunt Katy, Uncle Danny, and their Grandmother, they learn the surprising history and tradition behind this less well- known Jewish holiday and invite their friends and family to a Lag Ba’Omer celebration!

Great Reads for Any Time of Year!

A Jewish boy with Native American roots celebrates his dual heritage on the Western frontier.



“Always remember, you are the son of two proud nations,” Elan’s parents tell him in Elan, Son of Two Peoples. After turning 13 and celebrating his Bar Mitzvah in San Francisco, Elan, with his Jewish father and Native American mother, travels to New Mexico to visit his Indian family. There, he reads the Torah on the open mesa during Shabbat, goes exploring with his cousin, and takes part in the Pueblo ceremony of becoming a man. Based on a true story.

A Torah scribe and his family rescue damaged Torahs in a story spanning four generations.

As a child, David watches his grandfather, a Torah scribe or sofer, finish a Torah scroll for the synagogue. “A Torah is not something to be thrown away,” his Grandfather explains in The Patchwork Torah. David’s grandfather  carefully stores the old Torah his new one has replaced in his cabinet, hoping to one day repair the letters so the Torah can be used again. David grows up and becomes a sofer just like his grandfather. Through the years, people bring him damaged Torahs they have saved from danger and disaster – one damaged by Nazi soldiers during World War II, one damaged in a fire in a synagogue, and one in flooding during Hurricane Katrina. David stores each of these precious Torahs in his cabinet, until his granddaughter Leah gives him the idea to make a recycled Torah from the salvaged Torah scrolls.

An inventive little boy comes up with a big idea!

In Ziggy’s Big Idea Ziggy loves coming up with new inventions. Unfortunately, though, most of his inventions just don’t work out, like the  square “Ziggyball” or the “shulstilts” he makes for Rabbi Levi. Ziggy’s father sells  buns for Moishe the Baker, but Mrs. Schwartz always complains that the buns are undercooked at the center. That’s when Ziggy puts his creative mind to work, with  his idea for making the baker’s buns tastier and easier to carry, leading to the creation of one of the world’s  favorite treats – the bagel! Bagel recipe included.



Beginning in January, you can find these new titles at www.karben.com!
 
 

Lesson Plans and Activities for Yom Hashoah

Yom Hashoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, is next week. Are you planning a program?    Many schools and community organizations create programs to observe the gravity of the Holocaust and to educate and create awareness among future generations. Creating compelling programming for schools can pose a challenge, especially for children in younger grades who have not yet learned about the magnitude of the Holocaust. Children's picture books can be important tools for teaching about the Holocaust. Our books give children a first glimpse at history through unique lenses--modern cave exploration, collecting paper clips, a journey into space, and even from through perspective of a neighborhood cat.    We know teachers are busy. We've done the work for you. Kar-Ben has several free guides for teachers. Free and downloadable, these eSource guides provide pre- and post-reading questions, plus suggestions for activities that can be scaled for age appropriateness.    All of our book selections are available as eBooks, too. Using a projector or SmartBoard, an entire class, grade or school can experience these powerful books together.    Benno and the Night of Broken Glass    A neighborhood cat observes the changes in German and Jewish families in Berlin during the period leading up to Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass. This cat's-eye view introduces the Holocaust to children in a gentle way that can open discussion of this period.        Buy the eBook    Buy the print book   Download free eSource            Keeping the Promise   Follow the incredible journey of a small Torah scroll from a Dutch rabbi to a Bar Mitzvah boy during the Holocaust and finally to Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut, who died on space shuttle Columbia.    Buy the eBook   Buy the print book   Download free eSource            The Secret of Priest's Grotto     According to legend, a group of Jewish families survived the Holocaust by hiding out for months in the 77 miles of caves in Ukraine known as Priest's Grotto. Cavers Taylor and Nicola chronicle their trip to explore the caves and uncover the story of the survivors. Buy the eBook  Buy the print book  Download free eSource       Six Million Paper Clips At a middle school in a small, all white, all Protestant town in Tennessee, a special after-school class was started to teach the kids about the Holocaust, and the importance of tolerance. The students had a hard time imagining what six million was (the number of Jews the Nazis killed), so they decided to collect six million paperclips, a symbol used by the Norwegians to show solidarity with their Jewish neighbors during World War II.      Buy the eBook  Buy the print book  Download free eSource     Planning a program or looking for new ideas? Share with others on our Facebook page.

Yom HaShoah

By Jennifer Bjork

This Thursday, the 27^th of Nisan, is Yom HaShoah. In English, this refers to Holocaust Remembrance Day. This day is set aside to remember the horrors of the past and the lessons that the past can teach the world.

Trying to explain the Holocaust to children is a daunting assignment. How does one explain to an innocent child that humans are capable of such disregard for human life?

I first learned about the Holocaust at Hebrew school in 5^th grade. The teachers made (what I feel) a wise choice in using Anne Frank and her diary to teach my fellow students and me about the Holocaust. Her young age made a bigger impact because she was someone I could relate to, a little girl with hopes and dreams like my own.

Reading her diary made the realization of what happened to her and her family a little less jarring but much more meaningful. I was able to follow the progression of the Nazis' power through Anne’s eyes, getting to know Anne as she recorded her experiences. Anne’s sense of humor and relatable worries lessened the blow for me when I realized that each diary entry was a baby step toward her death.

On the flip side, each page provided me toward a bigger lesson than I bargained for about human behavior and what it means to share a world with people who are different than I, and those who might not like me because of that difference.

The Holocaust is a heavy and emotionally draining subject, but it’s also a great opportunity to teach children about compassion and respect for others through history’s mistakes. It’s also a good opening to teach children about social responsibility and the different prejudices that still exist between cultures, ethnicities, and races.

 Every child will respond differently to the stories they hear about the Holocaust but there are plenty of methods available to suit different learning styles. The important thing is that they learn and remember.

Find teacher resources.
Find children's books about the Holocaust.

Planning a Program for Yom Hashoah? Free Educator Materials

Yom Hashoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, is April 19. Many schools and community organizations create programs to observe the gravity of the loss of lives during the Holocaust and to educate and create awareness among future generations.

Creating compelling programming for schools can pose a challenge, especially for children in younger grades who have not yet learned about the magnitude of the Holocaust. Children's picture books can be important tools for teaching about the Holocaust. A book like Benno and the Night of Broken Glass tells about Kristallnacht, but follows a day in the life of a cat in Berlin to show the destruction and disappearance of people from the community. A picture book like this can provide a basis for thought-provoking discussion and real learning even among children in very early grades.

This free resource guide provides context, definitions for vocabulary and allusions, questions for pre- and post-reading, and suggested activities. Download it here.






Kar-Ben has free resource materials to accompany several Holocaust related books:

This resource guide for Janusz Korczak's Children provides context, definitions for vocabulary and allusions, questions for pre- and post-reading, and suggested activities. Download it here.




 
A Comprehensive Study Guide for Teachers prepared by Tolerance Minnesota©, a program of the Jewish Community Relations Council.

This study guide is designed to help students, teachers, and families prepare for and discuss Six Million Paper Clips: The Making of a Children's Holocaust Memorial. It contains background information, lessons and activities for students in grades 6-12. Download it here.

The Secret of Priests Grotto combines natural history and family history to tell the remarkable story of the Stermer family, an extended Jewish that survived the Holocaust by hiding in the labyrinth of Ukrainian caves known as Priests Grotto to escape Nazi persecution. Download a teacher's guide.