Vaughan,
Marcia. (2011). Irena’s Jars of Secrets. Illustrations by Ron Mazellan.
LEE & LOW BOOKS Inc., New York.
Reader’s annotation: This is the true story of a
selfless, Catholic, Polish-born social worker, and how she smuggled thousands
of children and babies out of Nazi-controlled Poland during WWII.
Evaluation: This book highlights what it meant for Jews to live in a Nazi-occupied region and what it meant for those who assisted them in evading Nazi capture. The seriousness of Irena's actions by defying the Nazis resulted in her life being threatened while interrogated by the secret police; however, she did not tell where she and her associates relocated over 2,500 children. Her heroism doesn't stop with only saving lives - she thoughtfully recorded and concealed the children's original names, false names, and where she relocated them. While many families faced losing each other and their children, Irena bravely offered them an alternative. She offered her best to save them, and families soon realized that the chance to save their children was far better than what was ahead of them if they remained.
Evaluation: This book highlights what it meant for Jews to live in a Nazi-occupied region and what it meant for those who assisted them in evading Nazi capture. The seriousness of Irena's actions by defying the Nazis resulted in her life being threatened while interrogated by the secret police; however, she did not tell where she and her associates relocated over 2,500 children. Her heroism doesn't stop with only saving lives - she thoughtfully recorded and concealed the children's original names, false names, and where she relocated them. While many families faced losing each other and their children, Irena bravely offered them an alternative. She offered her best to save them, and families soon realized that the chance to save their children was far better than what was ahead of them if they remained.
The full-page artwork is painted in dark, muted colors artistically suggesting the oppressed feelings and attitudes of that period in history. Not until the last two illustrations there are brighter colors, suggesting the post-war period. In the Afterword, the reader learns in more comprehensive detail about Irena's life and how she finally received well-deserved international recognition for her heroism.
Author website: No author website.
Illustrator website: http://ronmazellan.com/
Media: Oil on canvas.
Curricular connection: 5-7th grade History: Heroic acts of resistance from non-Jewish people during the Holocaust.
No comments:
Post a Comment