A Message for Grandma
Author and Illustrator: Carol Breckenridge
Publisher: First Edition Design Publishing
Publication Date: March 27, 2017
Pages: 36 Pages
About The Author
Carol Breckenridge is an artist, illustrator, and art therapist. A former elementary school teacher, she worked for 20 years as an art therapist in mental health centers, and continues to supervise art therapy interns at Ursuline College.
German Heritage
This is a gentle story about Alice, a young girl living in western Pennsylvania in the 1890s. Alice's mother sends her with a message to her German-speaking Grandma on the other side of the family farm. Alice speaks only English. As she walks across the farm repeating the message so that she will remember, she mangles it more with each new experience. Happily she gets it right at Grandma's house.
My Thoughts
I am always excited when I find a children's book that helps the reader learn about his/her heritage. I grew up on a farm with my German-speaking grandmother living nearby. Luckily, my grandmother could also speak English so I did not have to speak German to communicate with her.
The author makes it clear that each member of the farm family had to work hard to support the family. Alice and her nine brothers and sisters all had chores to do each day. Alice's mother needed flour to bake bread, so she asked Alice to walk to the other side of the farm and give her grandmother the following message, "Kann ich Mehl borgen".
It is no surprise that Alice had trouble remembering these German words. The German phrase soon turned into, "Ich kann my burden?" and "Kann is meal burger," and "I kann itch my bottom."
By the time Alice arrived at her grandmother's house, she remembered the German phrase her mother gave her. Unfortunately, the grandmother answered in German and the reader is not given the English meaning. The story ends with Alice getting a big hug from her grandmother, so I assume she got the flour and was soon on her way home.
The story is illustrated with soft watercolor paintings that add value to the story.
I am giving this story a four star rating because of the uncertain ending. It is a good story to share with children to teach about immigrants and American history. Kids will love the humor and relate to Alice's memory difficulties.
MY RATING: 4 STARS OUT OF 5
FYI - I received a digital review copy of this book from Net Galley.
Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section below. I will reply to all comments and questions.
I Will Come Back For You: A Family in Hiding During World War II
Author: Marisabina Russo
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade
Date: September 27, 2011
About The Author
Marisabina Russo is the author and illustrator of numerous books for children. Always Remember Me: How One Family Survived World War II, based on the
experiences of her grandmother's family during the Holocaust, was named an
ALA-ALSC Notable Children's Book.
A Jewish Family In Italy
A grandmother uses her charm bracelet to tell the story of her life in Italy during World War II.
The first charm is a donkey. The donkey represents the happy times that Jacob, Sabina and their children had in Rome before the war. They would often go to the park and ride on the backs of gentle donkeys.
The second charm is a piano. Jacob would play the piano and sing to his family each night when he got home from work. One day, Jacob learned that he and all Jewish men had to move to a small village up in the mountains. The music ended and the family missed Jacob very much.
The third charm is a bicycle. Jacob learned that the Germans were coming to the village and all the Jewish detainees would be moved to a concentration camp. Jacob ran away and hid in the mountains. A friendly farmer carried Sabina on the handlebars of his bicycle to a safer hiding place higher in the mountains. The children were left behind but hoped to be reunited with their parents as soon as it was safe.
The fourth charm is a pig. The children hid in baskets of live piglets and were carried high into the mountains on the back of a donkey. They were reunited with Sabina and lived with her on a farm until the war ended.
The next two charms are a barn and a spinning wheel. These charms represent the time that Sabina and the children lived on the farm. Sabina worked in the fields and even learned to spin yarn from sheep's wool. They looked like part of the farmer's family so no one suspected that they were Jews.
The Last charm is an ocean liner. Sabina learned that Jacob had joined the partigiani, a group of people who were fighting against the Germans. He was killed by Nazi solders who found his hideout. After the war, Sabina and her children sailed to America where they started a new life.
My Thoughts
When I was a child, I loved to read biographies and books about history. I read very little fiction, I always wanted a "true" book. I majored in social studies/history when I went to college. I love to learn about the history of my country and the world.
The subject of the Holocaust is difficult to explain to children. This fictionalized story based on the author's real-life experience deals with the subject in a sensitive and appropriate manner.
I really love the way the charm bracelet was used to represent each part of the story. The author gives more information about her family in the "Afterword" section of the book. Incredibly, about 85% of the Jews in Italy survived the war, more than in almost any other European country.
This is an excellent resource to teach children about war, evil, bravery and kindness in the face of danger. Highly recommended for children in early elementary grades and up. (The book jacket says ages 5 - 9 but I think it could be used with older students.)
My Rating: 5 Stars Out Of 5
FYI ~ I checked-out this book from the public library.
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