THE CRYSTAL BEADS

Black-Gould’s debut illustrated children’s book adapts her short story about a Jewish girl, her mother, and a Catholic nun.

In 1939 Poland, a Jewish woman teaches her daughter, Lalka, Catholic protocols in “a special game,” preparing her for her upcoming time in hiding. The mother plans to temporarily leave her daughter at a church one winter day: “She laid the scarf on the kitchen table and sprinkled the few remaining drops of lavender on the wool. Then she wrapped the scarf around my neck. ‘You will always have this memory.’ ” In her new home, the girl attends classes with other children, and the mother visits her daughter regularly for several weeks, but then the visits stop. One day, Sister Teresa tells the girl that “two men wearing long black leather coats and dark hats” are in her office. As she’s questioned relentlessly by the Nazis, she begins praying. The men throw her Star of David necklace (a gift from her father before he died) to the ground and upset her by saying she’s committing a sin if she doesn’t tell the truth about her religion. After they leave, the girl is confused and frightened: “Through my tears, I glanced at the crystal beads in my hand and the gold necklace in hers. ‘Sister,’ I asked. ‘Which one of these is the sin?’ ” Black-Gould, in a powerful adaptation of her short story that first appeared in the journal Jewish Fiction.net, adeptly demonstrates the fear felt by the young girl in the final scene: “Drops of water slinked like snakes down the leather” of her interrogator’s coat. Royz’s illustrations complement the text beautifully, with soft, homey scenes of the mother and daughter, depictions of the mother’s deep concern, and images of the Nazis, which all draw the reader into this emotional work. An afterword details a remarkable real-life story of how children at Whitwell Middle School in Tennessee created a Holocaust memorial, followed by study-guide questions for children and adults.

An affecting wartime reflection for young readers.