How a Toy and a Hero Saved
Lives During the Holocaust
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Abrams Books
(pub.3.14.2023) 48 pages
Ages 4-8
Author: Elisa Boxer
Illustrator: Amy June Bates
Character: Judith Geller (pseudonym Jacqueline Gauthier)
Overview:
" During World War II, a social worker named Jacqueline bicycled through the streets of Paris, passing Nazi soldiers and carrying a toy duck to share with the children she visited. What the Nazis didn’t know, however, was that Jacqueline wasn’t a social worker at all, but a Jewish member of the French Resistance.
Families across Europe went into hiding as the Nazis rounded up anyone Jewish. The Star of David, a symbol of faith and pride, became a tool of hate when the Nazis forced people to wear the star on their clothing and carry papers identifying them as Jewish, so that it was clear who to arrest. But many brave souls dared to help them.
Jacqueline was one of them. She risked her life in secret workshops, where forgers created false identity papers. But how to get these life-saving papers to families in hiding? The toy duck held the answer."
Tantalizing taste:
"And then came the day
Allied soldiers streamed into the streets.
People were cheering and crying and running to the tanks
to hug the heroes who'd brought candy and gum and
FREEDOM.
Where there was hiding,
now there was hope.
People could once again live
and learn
and play
and pray
safe from capture."``
And something more: Elisa Boxer, in the Author's Note writes that "To me, the duck is a symbol of shining a light on the truth of the war. Surrounded by memories that the Nazis couldn't destroy, it's in a museum [Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Israel] that showcases the suffering and strength of the Jewish people who once lived. It's on display with artifacts ... that belonged to Jewish prisoners and others killed in concentration camps. From a war that sent so many in hiding, during a time of such utter darkness, these artifacts are now out in the open and online - for the world to see...
I held the memory of the victims close as I wrote this book. I hope this serves as a tribute to the lives that were lost and a reminder of the suffering as well as a celebration of the lives that were saved and a recognition of the heroism."
Dr. Kati Karikó and the Race
for the Future of Vaccines
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Millbrook Press
(Lerner Publishing)
(pub.3.7.2023) 40 pages
ages 5-10
Author: Debbie Dadey
Illustrator: Juliana Oakley
Character: Dr. Kati Karikó
Overview:
" Growing up in a small Hungarian town, Kati Karikó was curious about everything.
As an adult, she channeled her curiosity into her work as a scientist. An mRNA vaccine had never been made before, and she faced frequent criticism and was told by other scientists she would never succeed. After many years of hard work and dedication, she figured out how to use mRNA to make a vaccine―and when a deadly virus called COVID-19 started infecting millions of people, Kati’s invention turned out to be exactly what the world needed."
Tantalizing taste:
" That evening, Kati told her family she wanted to be a scientist. Apuka was a butcher, and Anyuka, Kati's mother, did the bookkeeping at a nearby bottle factory. They believed that with hard work and perseverance, their children could do anything.
Anyuka said, 'I look forward to you earning the Noble Prize.'
Kati loved a challenge. Could she really win the biggest honor possible for a scientist?"
And something more: Debbie Dadey, in the Author's Note writes about choosing to write this book: "Dr. Katalin Karikó's pioneering work with mRNA inspired me and I wanted other people to know what she achieved. Her curiosity and tenacity saved many lives during the COVID-19 pandemic...I am thankful to scientists like Kati who want to make the world better and don't give up even when times are hard."
In the Acknowledgments section listing numerous awards she has won, the book includes this quote: "A cofounder of Moderna, Derrick Rossi, said, 'Katalin Karikó deserves the Nobel Prize.'"
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Levine Querido
(pub.4.4.2023) 56 pages
Author: Kristen Mai Giang
Illustrator: Dow Phumiruk
Characters: Kristen Mai Giang's family
Overview:
" On April 24, 1975 the last flight out of Saigon, Vietnam carried over 400 people to the United States, six days before Saigon’s surrender to the North Vietnamese Army.
Kristen Giang was a little girl, on that flight with family, and here in this story she shares all the emotions of the decision to flee from the perspective of someone eight years old; Playing a game of space-explorers to protect herself and her sister’s eyes from tear gas; sneaking a stuffed animal into the family’s overstuffed suitcase for comfort.
Dow Phumiruk’s tender illustrations let anyone feel the excitement and the ultimate hopefulness of this amazing true story."
Tantalizing taste:
" Our last night we slept at Ba's work.
Buses would take us to the airport in the morning.
We huddled and hid by a metal desk. I helped the little ones stay quiet.
So no one would hear us, and stop us from leaving.
The next morning, I watched through the window as Saigon rolled away.
Everything I ever knew."
And something more: Kristen Mai Giang in the Author's Note explains: "This is the story of my family's escape ... It wasn't until decades later that I discovered we were on the dramatic last commercial flight out.
The experiences are cobbled together from memories relayed by my parents... my sister... Allan Topping... additional flight crew and personnel, and other accounts of the flight and the war in general...
The historic details of the flight itself and the events leading up to it are true. Ultimately, I wanted to highlight what seemed to me the real miracle of this story - the simple and sometimes stunning ways people choose to help each other."
Touching dedications: Kristen Mai Giang:
"For my sister Linh, who gave me this story.
For Mom and Dad, who gave us everything.
For Allan Topping and the flight crew, who gave us a chance."
Dow Phumiruk (who's also the amazing illustrator of our MAYA LIN: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines):
"For refugee families, past and present.'"
