Haunting and memorable.
In World War II Poland, a distinguished and visionary Jewish doctor lives and dies by his humanity.
In this fact-based story, Simon, a self-described “Jewish orphan, prisoner of the Warsaw Ghetto,” narrates the tragic tale of Janusz Korczak, who had established a progressive orphanage in Warsaw. When the staff (except for the gentiles) and children were sent to the walled-in ghetto in 1940, Korczak, like so many others, tried to reason with the occupying Germans but was briefly imprisoned. In 1942, during a roundup, he nobly accompanied the children to their deaths in Treblinka. In this translation from the Italian, Cohen-Janca gives Simon a sure voice that is observant and grounded in reality as he describes Korczak’s philosophy of empowering children while also depicting the despair and death in the ghetto: “The Germans don’t want Jewish children to grow up.” Quarello’s softly textured graphite drawings on sepia-colored paper sustain the dark, foreboding air of the story with their stark depictions of buildings and barbed wire. A double gatefold of the children on their final walk to the transport trains is set against an all-white background and is achingly moving. Holocaust stories can be most powerful when seen through the eyes of an individual, and Simon, though a fictional child, is an unforgettable witness.
Haunting and memorable. (afterword, further reading, resources) (Historical fiction. 11-15)Pub Date: July 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-55451-715-2
Page Count: 68
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
As an overview of global conflict, it’s concise and accessible—remarkably so—but as a call to individual action, it’s less...
A penetrating look into the roots of global conflict, the many ways it can begin and possible resolutions.
Attempting to answer the question “Why do we fight?” is ambitious from the start. Following a natural arc by explaining different types of conflict and then contemplating ways conflict can escalate, Walker touches on topics that could each have their own book. However, she keeps the pace lively and the flow of information smooth. Preteen readers may anticipate finding solutions to conflicts in their everyday life, but instead, the focus is on global issues: fighting over natural resources, culture clashes, religious beliefs, etc. Underlying parallels to personal practice can certainly be drawn, but it is not the ultimate purpose of this work. Designed in a visual, infographic style with bold headlines and a sharp yellow, black and white color scheme, the sunny layout provides structure and bounce to a dense topic. In a concluding chapter entitled “What do YOU think?” Walker encourages readers to use their newfound knowledge and tolerance to become global activists. A laudable goal, but directions to getting involved with organizations such as UNICEF’s Voices of Youth or Amnesty International would have been appreciated.
As an overview of global conflict, it’s concise and accessible—remarkably so—but as a call to individual action, it’s less successful. (sources, index, author’s note) (Nonfiction. 11-14)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-926973-86-9
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2013
Required reading for serious dinophiles.
Thimmesh (Lucy Long Ago, 2009) again explores the border between science and speculation in this thoughtful look at how paleontologists and, in particular, “paleoartists” reconstruct prehistoric creatures from fossil evidence.
It’s “guesswork,” admits one artist. “But it’s guesswork based on science.” The author explains how surviving evidence—including fossilized bone fragments, plant matter, bits of skin and, recently, feathers, prehistoric “trackways” (preserved pathways of dino footprints) and similar physical features in modern animals—is assembled and interpreted by scientists. She also traces the evolution of dino art, from Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins’ fanciful reconstructions of heavy-bodied giant lizards to today’s images of quick, deft, graceful creatures. In support, examples of Hawkins’ approximations and the once-authoritative dinosaur paintings of Charles R. Knight from the first half of the 20th century contrast sharply with more detailed and dramatic scenes, often of the same dinosaurs, by Greg Paul and other currently active artists the author has interviewed. Sketch pages, alternative color patterns on the same model dino, and facing images of a Deinonychus before and after the discovery of fossilized feathers provide further insight into paleoart’s methods, challenges and rewards.
Required reading for serious dinophiles. (biographical appendix, source list, glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 11-13)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-99134-4
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2013
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