McCann,
Michelle R. (2003). Luba: The Angel of Bergen-Belsen. As told to
Michelle R. McCann by Luba Tryszynska-Frederick. Illustrations by Ann Marshall.
Tricycle Press, Berkeley, CA.
Reader’s annotation: Based on the true story of Polish Jew, Luba Tryszynska, who rescued fifty-four
abandoned Dutch children outside the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp where she
was also imprisoned.
Evaluation: After reading this remarkable story readers will be amazed at Luba’s capacity for love in the face of her own grief. Just having arrived at Bergen-Belsen and grieving the likely loss of her husband and young son, she hears children calling outside. Her investigation finds fifty-four children standing in the frozen darkness having been spared by the German guards who were to shoot them. The haunting image of an infant lying in a pillowcase on the ground instantly puts the reader in Luba’s shoes - what would you do in that situation? Luba immediately snaps into action and hides the children in her barrack. As a camp nurse, Luba had some small degree of freedom and she was able to access scarce resources for the children. Her determination, resourcefulness, and love for her lost son saved these children.
Evaluation: After reading this remarkable story readers will be amazed at Luba’s capacity for love in the face of her own grief. Just having arrived at Bergen-Belsen and grieving the likely loss of her husband and young son, she hears children calling outside. Her investigation finds fifty-four children standing in the frozen darkness having been spared by the German guards who were to shoot them. The haunting image of an infant lying in a pillowcase on the ground instantly puts the reader in Luba’s shoes - what would you do in that situation? Luba immediately snaps into action and hides the children in her barrack. As a camp nurse, Luba had some small degree of freedom and she was able to access scarce resources for the children. Her determination, resourcefulness, and love for her lost son saved these children.
The Prologue and Epilogue provide further details of Luba’s life and further information about World War II and the Holocaust. This additional information puts this story into context and would give students an appreciation of the danger that Luba put herself in to save the children. This book would also be a good segue to discussions on bravery and resistance during the War.
Focus on the artwork:
The artwork is a combination of oil and collage and provides a true sense of what traumatic memories are made of - dreamlike, blurry edges combined with sharp, searing clarity. This patchwork effect is extremely effective since it is soft, yet detailed, and moves the readers focus to different areas of the picture - sometimes the characters faces, and sometimes a distant object like clothes on a clothesline.
Author website: No author website.
Illustrator website: http://66.147.244.106/~annmarsh/
Media: Oil and collage.
Curricular connection: 7th grade History: Concentration camp and Holocaust survival.
Awards: 2004 Jane Addams Honor Book award.
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