The Grey Striped Shirt: How Grandma and Grandpa Survived the Holocaust [Hardcover]

Jacqueline Jules (Author), Mike Cressy (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1994 | Age Level: 8 and up

When Frannie finds a gray striped shirt in the closet, she asks questions which lead her grandparents to tell her about their experience of the Holocaust.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-4?While visiting her grandparents, Frannie discovers an old striped shirt, and eventually musters up the courage to ask why her grandmother has saved this ugly garment. Slowly, over a period of years, her grandparents share with her their experiences during the Holocaust. What makes this title different from others is that Frannie asks the question, "'Why didn't the Jews fight back? Why didn't they do something to keep the Nazis from killing them?'" Some of the acts of the resistance movements are explained, but Grandma states the most meaningful act of all, "'We fought the Nazis by staying alive.'" And it is up to Frannie to tell their story and keep it alive. The dedication of the grandparents to celebrating life is evident not only in their love for their grandchild, but also in their beautiful garden. This is a moving book, just perfect for those too old for David Adler's The Number on My Grandfather's Arm (UAHC, 1987), and not quite ready for Lois Lowry's Number the Stars (Houghton, 1989). It is amply illustrated with full-page black-and-white pictures that capture the moods and emotions of the text.?Micki S. Nevett, Westmere Elementary School, Albany, NY
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Alef Design Group (May 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1881283062
• ISBN-13: 978-1881283065
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,258,296 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jacqueline Jules is an author, teacher, librarian, and poet. Her books for children include Zapato Power, Unite or Die: How Thirteen States Became a Nation, No English, Sarah Laughs, and Duck for Turkey Day. Her work has appeared in numerous publications including Christian Science Monitor, America, Cicada, Highlights for Children, and Spider. She is a strong advocate for literacy and education. Please visit her at http://www.jacquelinejules.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Use of Historical Fiction, April 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Grey Striped Shirt: How Grandma and Grandpa Survived the Holocaust (Paperback)

This 63-page chapter book is an excellent choice for the independent reader in third or fourth grade, but can also be used as a read aloud for first or second graders. Fannie is visiting her grandparents when she discovers a hatbox containing a grey striped shirt. Her curiosity about the shirt causes Fannie to ask her grandparents about their past. The book gradually unfolds the events of the holocaust as Fannie continues to ask questions. She learns of the ghettos, concentration camps, extermination of the Jews (including 1.5 million children), tattoos, forced labor, starvation, and beatings. Fannie learns that she will one day inherit the shirt. She promises to tell the stories to her own grandchildren so that the world will never forget the holocaust.

I highly recommend this book because:

1. The book accurately portrays the stark realities of the holocaust but in measured amounts so that it is not overwhelming to young audiences.

2. This is the only book on the subject that I have found which fills the gap between picture books and full-length chapter books.

3. The story format is welcoming and captivating for young audiences who need more than "just the facts ma'am".

I read this to my three children ages, 5,8 and 11. They had no difficulty understanding that the experiences presented in the book actually happened to real people during WWII.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Grey Striped Shirt, March 13, 2004

By 

Elliot Fein (Trabuco Canyon, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Grey Striped Shirt: How Grandma and Grandpa Survived the Holocaust (Paperback)

The Grey Striped Shirt
By Elliot Fein

The Grey Striped Shirt (Alef Design) by Jacqueline is a story about a nine-year girl, Fannie, who discovers a dusty old box in the basement of her grandparents' home.

Inside the box, she sees a patched and stained grey striped shirt made of rough material. When she tries on the shirt, Fannie becomes frightened by her own image in the mirror, an image of a prisoner.

Fannie begins to ask her grandparents questions about their past. At first, they seem reluctant to talk about their childhoods. Realizing that Fannie must be told of the Nazi legacy, though, they slowly begin to relate the horrible facts about their experiences in the ghetto, in exile, and in the concentration camps.

Little by little over the next year, Fannie learns her grandparents' story of suffering, starvation, and sickness. She comes to realize that each of the six million Jews murdered had a similar story.

Fannie understands that one day she will inherit the grey striped shirt to show her own grandchildren, promising to tell them stories she has learned so that the world will not forget.

Jules, the author of The Grey Striped Shirt, is a master storyteller. She is able to expose children to the events of the Holocaust in a gradual and measured way without distorting historical truth.

Elliot Fein teaches Jewish religious studies at the Tarbut V'Torah School in Irvine, California

1 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Why use a fictional format?, August 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Grey Striped Shirt: How Grandma and Grandpa Survived the Holocaust (Paperback)

Although this book provides accurate historical information, it is presented in a manner that seems wholly out of keeping with its format. Why, if one wants to write an information book about the Holocaust does one write a purportedly fictional work, or a picture book. The children I have carried research out on, were unable to understand that the events described were real because the story format fooled them into thinking it was a work of fiction. Genres exist for a reson!!!