Customer Reviews

Child of the Warsaw Ghetto

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In my opinion, all upper elementary students should be made aware of the Holocaust. It's not easy--in a single library session--to try to discuss the Holocaust and promote some of the titles we have in our school library. "Child of the Warsaw Ghetto" is probably the best, single title I can read in one sitting that covers so much territory.

The picture book format is a bit deceiving, since I would not opt to read this solemn story to primary grades. The muted gray colored pencil drawings fit the grim topic of this biographical account of a poor Jewish boy in Warsaw, Poland, during the time of the Nazi occupation.

In rapid succession we learn about the Depression, the rise of Hitler and anti-Jewish sentiment, desperate poverty, a home for orphans, Germany's invasion of Poland, fighting, forced labor, German theft of furniture and valuables, removal of Jews, the ordered wearing of the blue Star of David, the moving of 400,000 Jews into a walled ghetto, the stark living conditions, the closure of the ghetto, the order for "All Jews out!" and few who were able to escape, the brief--but bold--Jewish resistance, the burning of the ghetto, and the "resettlement" either to death camps or concentration camps. All this is seen through the eyes of Froim Baum, starting when he is still a youngster.

The author's note at the end of the book spells out the additional cruelty of the Nazis to initiate many of their actions on Jewish holidays. He also tells what became of Froim Baum after the war.

When I've finished reading this sobering account to older elementary students, I encourage them to read additional titles, such as: "Diary of a Young Girl," by Anne Frank; "Number the Stars," "The Devil's Arithmetic," "Alicia: My Story," "The Endless Steppe," "The Borrowed House," "The Hiding Place," and "Daniel's Story" (to name a few).

This is a topic we should never forget. And since the period of history is not really covered in our curriculum, it needs to be introduced to students through well-written books on the subject, whether fiction or non-fiction. "Child of the Warsaw Ghetto" is a good place to start.

Holocaust education is essential for everyone, and especially so in the present context as the number of Holocaust survivors dwindle with the passage of years. The importance of emphasizing tolerance for other cultures and faiths is also crucial given the increasingly diverse make-up of society today. Given the grim nature of the subject matter, the Holocaust can be incredibly difficult to teach the young, yet I feel books like "Child of the Warsaw Ghetto" makes the subject more accessible to children, though I would recommend this for children Grades 6 and up.

The story here focuses on a young Jewish boy, Froim Baum, who lived in Poland during the time of the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939. There's some background information provided on Baum's circumstances - he was one of seven children born to a poor Jewish tailor and his wife. The family became even more impoverished when Baum's father died, leaving the family without a proper home. This forced Baum's mother to send some of her children to an orphanage run by Janusz Korczak. The Baums then find themselves and other Jews forced into a ghetto, practically sealed off from the Polish Gentile population, and things get worse for the Jews. Baum moves back and forth between his family's lodgings in the ghetto and Korczak's orphanage in the ghetto, and this actually saves him one day when the entire orphanage is sent to a death camp, including Korczak himself. The story details what happens to Baum and his own family - their escape from the ghetto, and eventual deportation to the camps.

The illustrations are dark and grim, and credibly portray the oppression and cruelty suffered by the Jews in Warsaw. The Nazis' penchant for cruelty is also elaborated on at the back of the book as the author explains how many of the 'actions' against the Jews (deportations, the assault on the Warsaw ghetto, etc.) are all carried out on major Jewish holidays. Though this can be termed a picture book, I'd definitely say this is not for young children, and more appropriate for Grades 6 and up (the illustrations are too grim, the vocabulary is advanced). Other picture books (for varying ages) on the Holocaust:
The Cats in Krasinski Square
Erika's Story
Luba: The Angel of Bergen-Belsen (Jane Addams Honor Book (Awards))
Star of Fear, Star of Hope
The Butterfly
Willy and Max: A Holocaust Story
One Yellow Daffodil: A Hanukkah Story