Year after year, Eli watches the solemn lighting of seven candles at his familys celebration of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. But these happy occasions are always tinged with sadness, and Eli doesnt understand why. Then one year he travels to Eastern Europe and finally heard the stories that for generations have been too painful to share. As Eli learns how the candles represent his familys sad connection to the Holocaust in Lithuania, he also learns a lesson about the importance of remembering.
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Why does Eli's great-grandmother Gussie cry when she lights the candles for the Jewish New Year? Eli learns the horrifying secret when he flies with his family to the Lithuanian village where Gussie lived as a child. They drive through the forest to the pit, where 80,000 Jews, including her father and siblings, were shot dead by the Nazis, their bodies burned. Based on the experience of Sneider's grandson, this picture book tells the history in stark prose, and Farnsworth's unframed, glowing oil paintings show the boy in his warm home and then in the bleak forest. Unfortunately, the present-day scenario is sentimentalized; the characters are almost greeting-card icons of grief and love. There isn't any of the bitterness or anger in survivor stories found in books such as Art Spiegelman's Maus (1986) and Anita Lobel's No Pretty Pictures (1998), for older readers. But this is a journey back that many Jewish survivor families are now taking, uncovering the horror of genocide that no one ever talked about at home. Sure to spark discussion and more research. Rochman, Hazel
About the Author
Ruth Vander Zee, teacher and author, has also written Erika's Story, illustrated by Roberto Innocenti (Creative Editions), and Mississippi Morning, illustrated by Floyd Cooper (Eerdmans). Ruth lives in Miami, Florida.
Marian Sneider (1934-2005), author and family therapist, wrote professionally for the Miami Herald, Miami News, and Highlights and Turtle children's magazines. Eli Remembers was inspired by events from her own family, and is her first published book for children. Marian passed away in December 2005.
Bill Farnsworth has been painting for twenty-seven years. He is the illustrator of many award-winning books for children, including The Flag with Fifty-Six Stars by Susan Goldman Rubin (Holiday House), The Christmas Menorahs by Janice Cohn (Albert Whitman), and One Fine Day by Elizabeth Van Steenwyk (Eerdmans). Bill lives in Venice, Florida.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Ruth has written numerous children's books and most recently authored for women "Woman Meets Jesus: How Jesus Encourages, Empowers, and Equips Women on Their Personal Journey of Faith." As a pastor's wife, she has welcomed thousands of people into her home. As an author, she travels, talking with students and teachers about her books and the writing process. Ruth lives in Miami, Florida with her husband Vern.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eli Remembers,
By
This review is from: Eli Remembers (Hardcover)
This picture book is a wonderful introduction to the holocaust. It begins with Eli wondering why his great-grandmother lights candles for the Jewish New Year. In order for him to understand, his family takes him to the Lithuanian village were his great-grandmother lived as a child. Then, they drive through the forest to the pit, where 80,000 Jews, including her father and siblings, were shot dead by the Nazi's. Well illustrated, the pictures contrast the boy's home life with the bleak forest. Overall, this is a wonderful book, appropriate for all ages.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful but not for everyone,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Eli Remembers (Hardcover)
I purchased Eli Remembers intending to use it as part of a unit on the Holocaust that my 6th grade homeschoolers will be doing this fall. The book is beautifully illustrated, the text gentle. This book is wonderfully appropriate for the 6 to 9 year old child who has Holocaust survivors in his family.
Unfortunately, as a teaching tool for children in the suggested 9-12 age group (4th to 7th grade) Eli Remembers does not fit the bill. The book provides few details about or explanation of the Holocaust other than the single event that has caused Eli's great grandmother such distress for so many years and there is no first hand testimony to make up for that lack. All in all, beautifully done, but a book that most educators will want to skip in favor of Hana's Suitcase
5.0 out of 5 stars
Eli Remembers,
By Jewish Book World Magazine (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Eli Remembers (Hardcover)
Who will tell the story when the survivors are gone? Although there is a Second Generation group, not all are able or willing to be messengers, which is why this book will affect readers of all ages. Ever since young Eli can remember, the first evening of Rosh Hashanah, a happy holiday, included the lighting of seven, not two candles, and then tears--first from his great grandparents, later, from his grandparents; and even in his own home -always the same thing. No one ever answered his question: "Why?" Finally, his parents told him that they were all going to visit the town where great-grandmother Gussie had come from, in Lithuania. It was at that time, in that place, in good time, that the reason for the tears is revealed to him--and he, Eli, promises to assume the obligation to tell their story. The text is spare and sensitive; the illustrations are so powerful, so tuned to the momentum of the story--that I can truthfully say that they are perfect. This is a wonderful book. Ages 10 - adult. Reviewed by Marcia Posner
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Inside This Book
(learn more)
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs):
(learn more)
Great-grandmother Gussie Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Great-grandmother Gussie Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
