Forced to flee the Nazis, a young girl and her family eventually end up in the United States where, years later, with a young daughter of her own, she is improbably reunited with the beloved doll she left behind in Germany.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
The narrator, remembering her girlhood in Germany, must leave her doll Elisabeth behind when she and her family flee the Nazis. Decades later, she recovers the doll in the U.S. In a starred review, PW wrote, "Nivola proves herself a sure-handed storyteller with this moving, true story from her mother's life." Ages 4-8.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3. A little girl in Germany shares every moment of her life with her beloved doll, Elisabeth, until the soldiers come and her teacher calls her "Jew." She flees with her parents to Italy, France, and, finally, America with all the family's possessions left behind, including Elisabeth. Years pass and the little girl, now a mother, has a daughter who wants a special doll. Searching through every antique store, the woman finds the very one she left behind, identifiable because of teeth marks left in the doll's arm by her mischievous dog. Still more years pass and now her granddaughter plays with it. Full-color paintings bordered by white space present a tableaux of images: a stern faced doll, a soldier with a rifle on a sunny tree-lined street, the grown-up Ruth examining the doll in the shop. This is a moving, but adult-focused remembrance of the author's mother, which raises the question of audience. The delicate art, amount of white space, and very brief text will appeal to preschoolers through first graders, but with no background built into the story, they're unlikely to understand why Ruth and her family must flee or comprehend the concept of anti-Semitism. Older children will find the story lacking in substance.?Susan Pine, New York Public Library
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Elisabeth,
This review is from: Elisabeth (Hardcover)
My daughter brings home a library book every Wednesday from her school. On one occasion, she brought home ELISABETH, by Claire Nivola. I read it to her that night and was moved by the story. The next night, Thursday, my husband also read her the story. On Saturday, my husband, a physician, received a call from the emergency room where a woman who was from out of town, was experiencing pain from a previous fracture. He accepted the case and when he began taking her history, he was struck by the similarity it bore to the book he had just read. He mentioned it to her and she said she also knew the story as SHE WAS RUTH, the child in the book. My husband immediately took our daughter to meet her. Just to let you know - the book is a true story.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A moving introduction to a tragic chapter of history,
By amirosa@mediaone.net (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Elisabeth (Hardcover)
I came upon this book by accident and bought it for my granddaughter a year and a half ago when she was 4 1/2. We felt that she was too young to deal with the Holocaust aspect of the story, but will eventually reveal it to her. It is a favorite with her, for the story of loss and recovery is touching in its own right. As an American-Jewish contemporary of the doll's first owner, I get chills just reading the synopsis, and a catch in my throat when I tell people about it. The illustrations are beautiful, in their poignant detail and rich colors. This wonderful book deserves to be much more widely read than the sales ranking here would indicate.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply Eloquent and Gently Poignant,
By
This review is from: Elisabeth (Hardcover)
This little book is powerful in it's simple text and folk art-like illustrations. I have not yet been able to read this aloud to my daughter without a catch in my voice. And while at age 5 she is too young to learn about the details of the Holocaust, she certainly understands the sadness of a little girl leaving her precious doll behind and the wonder of discovering the same doll years later. As a homeschooler, I am able to use this resource to study history, geography, family relationships, culture and issues of faith and religious persecution (of course tailoring discussion to be age appropriate). I would not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone, young or old. This is an excellent addition to your home library.
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