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[CCBC-Net] Holocaust Literature
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From: Kathleen Horning <horning>
Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 08:19:02 -0500
Posted on behalf of Linda Silver:
As the librarian of the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland, I read, review, and purchase a lot of Holocaust literature for children and teens, as well as Holocaust curricula, teaching guides, reference materials, etc. The library serves as the curricular resource for Jewish schools (day schools and congregational) so it's important for us to keep current and well-informed about reading and teaching trends.
There are two books that I tend to rely on for insights into choosing Holocaust literature and teaching the subject: TEACHING AND STUDYING THE HOLOCAUST edited by Samuel Totten and Stephen Feinberg (Allyn and Bacon, 2001) and TEACHING HOLOCAUST LITERATURE edited by Samuel Totten (Allyn and Bacon, 2001). Totten recommends NOT teaching the Holocaust to children younger than fourth grade and most of the Jewish schools in Cleveland wait until 6th grade at the lowest to introduce it. There have been many illustrated books about the Holocaust published in the last few years and it is important to distinguish them from picture books and to make sure that they reach the appropriate audience and not young children. The Secret Sedar by Doreen Rappaport is one, The Harmonica is another, The Cats of Krasinski Square is another to name just a few.
Among the books mentioned by others who wrote to CCBC-Net, Lowry's Number the Stars is still popular: kids like it and our teachers tend to stick with the popular and avoid anything new. There is some criticism that books like Number the Stars, which deals with the rescue of Jews by Gentiles, distort the Holocaust, leading readers to believe that Jews were rescued in great numbers when, in fact, the opposite is true. My favorite non-fiction treatment of the Holocaust, for middle school, is Barbara Rogasky's Smoke and Ashes, 2nd edition because it presents the unvarnished truth about anti-Semitism and genocide. Another unflinching account is Anita Lobel's No Pretty Pictures, for middle school and high school readers. And don't forget Kushner and Sendak's stunning Brundibar, which can be read as a fairy tale by little children and as a chilling parable about the Holocaust by older ones. Among gentler stories, the new Willy and Max by Littlesugar is touching, as is Hana's Suitcase by Levine, and Butterfly by Polacco.
Among recent titles, don't miss Daniel, Half Human and the Good Nazi by David Chotjewitz and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. To join in a controversy, read John Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas to see if you love it or hate it. I urge people to avoid assigning or teaching Spinelli's Milkweed because it presents the Holocaust as an existential absurdity, which is developmentally inappropriate for middle school and even high school readers.
Scores of Holocaust books are published each year; the Jewish ValuesFinder, on online guide that I edit, sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries, reviews most of them and adds recommended titles to its database. Bibliographies can be made from the Bookbag. Take a look at the ValuesFinder and its database of over 1,000 annotated titles (not all about the Holocaust!) at www.ajljewishvalues.org.
Linda R. Silver, Librarian
Jewish Education Center of Cleveland
2030 S. Taylor Rd.
Cleveland Hts., OH 44118
216-371-8288, ext. 128
lsilver at jecc.org
Kathleen T. Horning, Director Cooperative Children's Book Center University of Wisconsin-School of Education 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 North Park St. Madison, WI 53706
horning at education.wisc.edu Voice: 608-263-3721 Fax: 608-262-4933 www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
Received on Wed 26 Apr 2006 08:19:02 AM CDT
Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 08:19:02 -0500
Posted on behalf of Linda Silver:
As the librarian of the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland, I read, review, and purchase a lot of Holocaust literature for children and teens, as well as Holocaust curricula, teaching guides, reference materials, etc. The library serves as the curricular resource for Jewish schools (day schools and congregational) so it's important for us to keep current and well-informed about reading and teaching trends.
There are two books that I tend to rely on for insights into choosing Holocaust literature and teaching the subject: TEACHING AND STUDYING THE HOLOCAUST edited by Samuel Totten and Stephen Feinberg (Allyn and Bacon, 2001) and TEACHING HOLOCAUST LITERATURE edited by Samuel Totten (Allyn and Bacon, 2001). Totten recommends NOT teaching the Holocaust to children younger than fourth grade and most of the Jewish schools in Cleveland wait until 6th grade at the lowest to introduce it. There have been many illustrated books about the Holocaust published in the last few years and it is important to distinguish them from picture books and to make sure that they reach the appropriate audience and not young children. The Secret Sedar by Doreen Rappaport is one, The Harmonica is another, The Cats of Krasinski Square is another to name just a few.
Among the books mentioned by others who wrote to CCBC-Net, Lowry's Number the Stars is still popular: kids like it and our teachers tend to stick with the popular and avoid anything new. There is some criticism that books like Number the Stars, which deals with the rescue of Jews by Gentiles, distort the Holocaust, leading readers to believe that Jews were rescued in great numbers when, in fact, the opposite is true. My favorite non-fiction treatment of the Holocaust, for middle school, is Barbara Rogasky's Smoke and Ashes, 2nd edition because it presents the unvarnished truth about anti-Semitism and genocide. Another unflinching account is Anita Lobel's No Pretty Pictures, for middle school and high school readers. And don't forget Kushner and Sendak's stunning Brundibar, which can be read as a fairy tale by little children and as a chilling parable about the Holocaust by older ones. Among gentler stories, the new Willy and Max by Littlesugar is touching, as is Hana's Suitcase by Levine, and Butterfly by Polacco.
Among recent titles, don't miss Daniel, Half Human and the Good Nazi by David Chotjewitz and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. To join in a controversy, read John Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas to see if you love it or hate it. I urge people to avoid assigning or teaching Spinelli's Milkweed because it presents the Holocaust as an existential absurdity, which is developmentally inappropriate for middle school and even high school readers.
Scores of Holocaust books are published each year; the Jewish ValuesFinder, on online guide that I edit, sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries, reviews most of them and adds recommended titles to its database. Bibliographies can be made from the Bookbag. Take a look at the ValuesFinder and its database of over 1,000 annotated titles (not all about the Holocaust!) at www.ajljewishvalues.org.
Linda R. Silver, Librarian
Jewish Education Center of Cleveland
2030 S. Taylor Rd.
Cleveland Hts., OH 44118
216-371-8288, ext. 128
lsilver at jecc.org
Kathleen T. Horning, Director Cooperative Children's Book Center University of Wisconsin-School of Education 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 North Park St. Madison, WI 53706
horning at education.wisc.edu Voice: 608-263-3721 Fax: 608-262-4933 www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
Received on Wed 26 Apr 2006 08:19:02 AM CDT
