Skip to content 
What Was Pearl Harbor?
By Patricia Brennan Demuth, Illustrated by John Mantha
By Dona Herweck Rice
You Are There! Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, examines the events leading up to the attack, highlights the critical components, and details the aftermath and its effects. This high-interest book includes an index, captions, glossary, and table of contents, sidebars, detailed images, and in-depth Reader’s Guide. Aligned with state standards, the text features complex and rigorous content appropriate for students preparing for college and career readiness. 10-14 years
Ranger in Time: Attack on Pearl Harbor
By Kate Messner, Illustrated by Kelley McMorris
I Survived meets The Puppy Place in this adventure novel as Ranger — a time-traveling golden retriever — races to the rescue on the day of the attack. Ranger travels back to 1941 Hawaii, where World War II is on everyone’s minds. That includes Ben Hansen, a young sailor stationed at Pearl Harbor, and twins Paul and Grace Yamada who are making their weekly market trip when Japanese bombs begin to fall from the sky. As the surprise attack puts all of Ranger’s new friends in danger, his search-and-rescue training kicks in to high gear. Can he help them survive against all odds? 7-10 years
I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor
By Lauren Tarshis, Illustrated by Scott Dawson
The bombing of Pearl Harbor comes to life for a new generation of readers! Eleven-year-old Danny Crane is alone on his favorite beach in Hawaii when the world is torn apart and World War II officially hits the United States. Does he have what it takes to find his way home in the midst of the bombs, the smoke, and the destruction of the day that will live in infamy? 7-10 years
The Attack on Pearl Harbor: A Day That Changed America
By Christy Serrano
BEHIND THE BOOKCASE: MIEP GIES, ANNE FRANK AND THE HIDING PLACE
By Barbara Lowell, Illustrated by Valentina Toro
Miep Gies risked her life to keep a secret. Behind the bookcase in her office, stairs led to a hiding place where Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazis. Once a refugee herself, Miep knew the power of kindness. Her selflessness, humanity, and bravery sheltered Anne for a time. Because of Miep, Anne Frank’s story lives on. –Behind the Bookcase Jacket
YOUNG MIEP GIES
Miep Gies was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1909. Her name was Hermine Santrouschitz. After Austria’s loss in World War I, food was scarce and Miep became malnourished as many of Austria’s children did. Her parents were concerned that their eleven-year-old daughter might die.
Along with other families in the Netherlands, the Nieuwenhuises offered to take care of an Austrian child. Miep’s parents sent her to Leiden to live with the Dutch family. They called her Hermine at first, but then gave her the “affectionate Dutch nickname” Miep. Soon, Mr. and Mrs. Neiuwenhuise began to think of Miep as their adoptive child and the four boys in the family referred to her as one of their two sisters.
Through their kindness and lots of Dutch bread, butter, milk, cheese and chocolate, Miep grew healthy. Her foster father took her to school where the children grabbed her hands, sat her down, and taught her to speak Dutch. Soon, Miep was the top student in her class.
Miep embraced the Dutch life. She rode a bicycle for the first time, learned to make butter sandwiches, talked about what she read in the newspaper and learned to love classical music. But ice skating on a frozen canal was something she tried once but would never try again.
When she was thirteen, Miep and her new family moved to Amsterdam. She loved its movie theaters, electric streetcars, the canals winding through the city, the beautiful flower stalls, and all the bicycles racing along the city’s bike paths.
When she was sixteen, she visited her Austrian family. Miep told them that she had grown to love living in Amsterdam and wanted to stay there. She considered herself to be Dutch now. Her parents gave their permission and Miep returned to Amsterdam and her life with the Nieuwenhuise family. In 1941, she married Jan Gies. From the time she was eleven until her death in 2010, at age 100, Miep Gies lived a proud Dutch life.
Who Were the Tuskegee Airmen
By Sherri L. Smith
During World War II, black Americans were fighting for their country and for freedom in Europe, yet they had to endure a totally segregated military in the United States, where they weren’t considered to have the ability to become military pilots.
After acquiring government funding for aviation training, civil rights activists were able to kickstart the first African American military flight program in the US at Tuskegee University in Alabama. While this book details thrilling flight missions and the grueling training sessions the Tuskegee Airmen underwent, it also shines a light on the lives of these brave men who helped pave the way for the integration of the US armed forces. 8-12 years
Wind Flyers
By Angela Johnson, Illustrated by Loren Long
Three-time Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Angela Johnson and New York Times bestselling illustrator Loren Long invite readers to ponder a band of World War II heroes — the Tuskegee Airmen. This book reveals how a boy’s love of flight takes him on a journey from the dusty dirt roads of Alabama to the war-torn skies of Europe and into the hearts of those beginning to understand the part these brave souls played in the history of America. 5-9 years
The Tuskegee Airmen Story
By Lynn Homan and Thomas Reilly, Illustrated by Rosalie M. Shepherd
When World War II struck, every able-bodied man was needed for the defense of the nation, regardless of the color of his skin. In 1941, young black men began training at the Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama, despite those who said that African Americans weren’t smart enough to operate anything as intricate as an airplane.
Mr. Kennedy’s students, learning of segregation for the first time, eagerly listen to the story of the Tuskegee Airmen. Mr. Kennedy teaches them about the brave men who flew the death-filled skies of World War II and fought the deeply-ingrained racism of their hometowns. 5-8 years
You Can Fly: The Tuskegee Airmen
By Carole Boston Weatherford, Illustrated by Jeffery Boston Weatherford
I WANT YOU! says the poster of Uncle Sam. But if you’re a young black man in 1940, he doesn’t want you in the cockpit of a war plane. Yet you are determined not to let that stop your dream of flying.
So when you hear of a civilian pilot training program at Tuskegee Institute, you leap at the chance. Soon you are learning engineering and mechanics, how to communicate in code, how to read a map. At last the day you’ve longed for is here: you are flying!
From training days in Alabama to combat on the front lines in Europe, this is the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the groundbreaking African-American pilots of World War II. 9-12 years
The Tuskegee Airmen: Freedom Fighters of World War II
By Brynn Nicole Baker
The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African-American military pilots in the United States armed forces. Flying bombers and fighters, they completed over 1500 combat missions in World War II. Infographics, sidebars, and fact boxes bring the experiences of these brave military men to life. 8-10 years
Tuskegee Airmen
By John Perritano
World War II was coming and soon the United States would join the war. Everyone knew it was a matter of time. African Americans wanted to fight for their country. They wanted to be pilots, but they had to overcome racism to earn their wings. Engage your most struggling readers in grades 3-8 with this book. Written at a 1.5-1.9 readability level, it includes photographs, illustrations, fun facts and short chapters. Reluctant readers
The Tuskegee Airmen’s Mission to Berlin: A Fly on the Wall History
By Thomas Kingsley Troupe, Illustrated by Jomike Tejido
Through clouds and over mountains and farmland, two cartoon flies accompany readers on an adrenaline-pumping flight over war-torn Europe as the U.S. Army Air Corps’ Tuskegee airmen take on a heroic, history-making mission during World War II. 6-8 years
The Tuskegee Airmen, An Illustrated History 1939-1949
By Joseph D. Carver and Jerome Ennels
This book uses captioned photographs to trace the Airmen through the various stages of training, deployment, and combat in North Africa, Italy, and over occupied Europe. Included are depictions of the critical support roles of non-flyers: doctors, nurses, mechanics, navigators, weathermen, parachute riggers, and others, all of whom contributed to the Airmen’s success. In words and pictures, this volume tells the story of the Tuskegee Airmen and the environments in which they lived, worked, played, fought, and sometimes died.
I Wanted to be a Pilot: The Making of a Tuskegee Airman
By Franklin J. Macon, with Elizabeth G. Harper
Sometimes history is made by a dyslexic, mischievous boy who hates school, is a descendant of one of Frederick Douglass’ half-sisters, and whose Pops was a Buffalo Soldier. In I Wanted to be a Pilot, one of the less than 100 living Documented Original Tuskegee Airmen, Franklin J. Macon, tells the lively stories of how he overcame life’s obstacles to become a Tuskegee Airman.
Soar through history with Franklin as he conquers dyslexia, finds mischief, and grows up to change the course of America. Readers laugh at Frank’s childhood antics, while being reminded that disabilities like Frank’s dyslexia, repeating a grade in school, and other hardships can be overcome. I Wanted to be a Pilot encourages kids to recognize history, reach for their dreams, and even make their own toys as they are reminded of the great strength and determination of the men and women who came before them. 13-18 years
The book descriptions used are primarily from the publishers.
If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and/or leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
A Boy Named FDR: How Franklin D. Roosevelt Grew Up to Change America
By Kathleen Krull, Illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher
Franklin D. Roosevelt was born into one of the wealthiest families in America, yet this rich kid grew up to do more for ordinary Americans than any other president. This picture book biography shows how, from childhood on, FDR was compassionate, cheerful, determined, and enormously likable. 6-9 years
Make Your Mark, Franklin Roosevelt
By Judith St. George
Young Franklin Roosevelt grew up knowing the finer things in life— sailing, horseback riding, and foxhunts on his family’s large estate. Growing up wealthy meant he could live a gentleman’s life, like his beloved papa. Yet gentlemen weren’t supposed to go into politics, right? But why not? As young Franklin learns from a famous uncle and a famous mentor, there is more to the world than he thought. And about politics? Well, maybe there is more to that, too. 7-10 years
Nice Work Franklin!
By Suzanne Tripp Jurman, Illustrated by Larry Day
As one of the most inspirational and determined presidents, Franklin Roosevelt overcame his disability to lead the country out of the Great Depression.
Franklin idolized his cousin Teddy Roosevelt. He wore glasses like Teddy, he spoke like Teddy and he held the same public offices as Teddy. But then one day his life changed — he developed polio and could no longer walk. Franklin had Teddy’s determination and after physical therapy and hard work he ran for governor of New York and won. Then the Great Depression spread across the country: Banks closed and thousands of people lost their jobs. So, Franklin ran for president, won the office and helped lead America out of the depression. 5-9 years
Who Was Franklin Roosevelt?
By Margaret Frith, Illustrated by John O’Brien
Although polio left him in a wheelchair, Franklin Roosevelt took office during the Great Depression and served as president during World War II. Elected four times, he spent thirteen years in the White House leading America through tremendously difficult times. 8-12 years
Diana’s White House Garden
By Elisa Carone, Illustrated by Jen Hill
World War II is in full force across the seas. It’s 1943, President Franklin Roosevelt is in office, and Diana’s father, Harry Hopkins, is his chief adviser. Diana wants to be part of the war effort. After some well-intentioned missteps, the president requests her help with his newest plan for country’s survival: Victory Gardens! This is the true story of how Diana Hopkins started her own Victory Garden on the White House lawn under the tutelage of Eleanor Roosevelt. With dedication and patience, she showed the nation that the war effort starts first on the home front. 5-8 years
First Dog Fala
By Elizabeth Van Steenwyk, Illustrated by Michael G. Montgomery
Meet the Scottish terrier who won the hearts of a United States president and the American people in 1940. Fala came to live with President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the White House. The little dog played in the grass outside the Oval Office, attended important meetings with the president’s advisers, and even dined with the president. But as America was drawn into World War II, life at the White House changed. Fala accompanied the president across the country and around the world and waited with him for the return of American servicemen and an end to a terrible war. This picture book offers young readers a glimpse into American history and the life of an American president through the story of a loyal dog. 4-8 years
Franklin and Winston: A Christmas That Changed the World
By Douglas Wood, Illustrated by Barry Moser
At the height of World War II, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill held an extraordinary month-long visit. They planned the success of the Allied powers and strategized a continuing peace for the end of the war. During the Christmas holiday, they cemented a unique bond as they decided how to confront a menace that threatened all of civilization. 6-9 years
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
By Russell Freedman
Well-known author for children, Russell Freedman, traces the life of Franklin Delano Roosevelt from his birth in 1882, through his youth, early political career, and presidency to his death in Warm Springs, Georgia in 1945. Young Adult
Franklin Delano Roosevelt For Kids: His Life and Times with 21 Activities
By Richard Panchyk
Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s enduring legacy upon the history, culture, politics, and economics of the United States is introduced to children in this activity book. Kids will learn how FDR, a member of one of the founding families of America, led the nation through the darkest days of the Great Depression and World War II as president. Kids will explore Roosevelt’s entire era through such hands-on activities as staging a fireside chat, designing a WPA-style mural, sending a double encoded message, hosting a swing dance party, and participating in a political debate. 9 and up
Two Men and a Car: Franklin Roosevelt, Al Capone and a Cadillac V-8
By Michael Garland
It is December 8, 1941, the day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt leads a nation in crisis. He must make a speech to a joint session of Congress that will build support for America’s entry to World War II, but to do that he needs an armored vehicle in which to make the short trip from the White House to the Capitol Building.
According to legend, the car Roosevelt rode in that day, borrowed from the FBI’s impound lot, was an armored Cadillac V-8 built for gangster Al Capone in the late 1920s to shield himself from enemies. Is the legend true, or is it an American tall tale. Either way, it’s an ideal vehicle to compare and contrast the lives of two American men who grew up within miles of one another: one a great president, the other an infamous villain. 9-12 years
The book descriptions used are primarily from the publishers.
If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and/or leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
Who Was Anne Frank?
By Ann Abramson, Illustrated by Nancy Harrison
In her amazing diary, Anne Frank revealed the challenges and dreams common for any young girl. But Hitler brought her childhood to an end and forced her family into hiding. This nonfiction chapter book looks closely at her life before the secret annex, what life was like in hiding, and the legacy of her diary. 8-12 years
Behind the Bookcase: Miep Gies, Anne Frank and the Hiding Place
By Barbara Lowell, Illustrated by Valentina Toro
Miep Gies risked her life to keep a secret. Behind the bookcase in her office, stairs led to a hiding place where Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazis. Once a refugee herself, Miep knew the power of kindness. Her selflessness, humanity, and bravery sheltered Anne for a time. Because of Miep, Anne Frank’s story lives on. 7-11 years
Anne Frank
By Josephine Poole, Illustrated by Angela Barrett
The life of Anne Frank, from birth until being taken from the hidden attic by the Nazis, is presented in the well-researched picture book. 10 and up
Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation
By Anne Frank, Illustrated by David Polonsky
A timeless story rediscovered by each new generation, The Diary of a Young Girl stands without peer. For both young readers and adults it continues to capture the remarkable spirit of the young girl, who for a time survived the worst horror the modern world has seen—and who remained triumphantly human throughout.
Adapted by Ari Folman, illustrated by David Polonsky, and authorized by the Anne Frank Foundation in Basel, this is the first graphic edition of The Diary and includes extensive quotation directly from the definitive edition. It remains faithful to the original, while the illustrations interpret and add layers of visual meaning to this classic work of Holocaust literature.
The Cat Who Lived With Anne Frank
By David Lee Miller and Stephen Jay Rubin, Illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley
When Mouschi the cat goes with his boy, Peter, to a secret annex, he meets a girl named Anne. Bright, kind and loving, she dreams of freedom and of becoming a writer whose words change the world. But Mouschi, along with Anne and her family and friends, must stay hidden, hoping for the war to end and for a better future.
Told from the perspective of the cat who actually lived in the famous Amsterdam annex, this poignant book paints a picture of a young girl who wistfully dreams of a better life for herself and her friends. She wonders what mark she might leave on the world, and, above all, adamantly believes in the goodness of people. Accompanied by vivid art, this book is a perfect introduction to a serious topic for younger readers. 4-8 years
Anne Frank The Girl Heard Around the World
By Linda Elovitz Marshall, Illustrated by Aura Lewis
Linda Elovitz Marshall introduces readers to the story of Anne Frank in this powerful book about family, war, and the importance of finding your voice.
During her two years in hiding from the Nazis, Anne Frank poured her soul into a red plaid diary named Kitty. She wrote honestly of the reality of Nazi occupation, of daily life in the annex, and of her longing to be heard. More than anything, she spoke the truth, and her words have echoed throughout history. 6-8 years
Anne Frank: National Geographic Reader
By Alexandra Zapruder
This level-3 reader brings an understanding of Anne Frank’s historical significance to a whole new audience. Young readers will learn about the brave and tragic life of the young girl who kept a diary while in hiding from Nazis. 6-9 years
Anne Frank and the Remembering Tree
By Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, Illustrated by Erika Steiskal
This is a story of a young girl, who loved a tree and the tree who promised never to forget her. This book is co-published with the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, the first U.S. recipient of a sapling from the tree outside the Secret Annex window. 6-9 years
The Tree in the Courtyard: Looking Through Anne Frank’s Window
By Jeff Gottesfeld, Illustrated by Peter McCarty
The tree in the courtyard, where Anne and her family hid from the Nazis, was a horse chestnut tree. Its leaves were like green stars and its flowers cones of white and pink. The tree died the summer she would have turned eighty-one, but its seeds and saplings have been planted around the world as a symbol of peace. Its story and hers are told and illustrated in this picture book. 5-8 years
Anne Frank: The Young Writer Who Told the World Her Story
By Ann Kramer
This book takes readers back to the dark days of World War II through the story of the famous young diarist. Like teenagers everywhere, she wrote about friends, family, movies, her greatest joys, and her deepest fears. Through her diary entries, we experience her changing world as persecution, hiding, and betrayal become part of daily life in Nazi occupied Europe. 8-12 years
Anne Frank: Her Life in Words and Pictures
By Menno Metselaar and Rudd van der Rol
On a summer day in 1942, Anne Frank and her family went into hiding from the Nazis. Until the day they were arrested, more than two years later, she kept a diary. This book produced in association with The Anne Frank House is a visual guide to her tragic, but inspiring story. 9-12 years
Inside Anne Frank’s House
By Hans Westra
More than 350 full-color and black-and-white photographs capture the legacy of Anne Frank in a visual tour of the famous Amsterdam home in which she and her family took refuge to escape the Nazis. All ages
The book descriptions are primarily from the publishers.
If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
Hidden
By Loic Dauvillier
Illustrated by Marc Lizano and Greg Salsedo
In this young graphic novel, Dounia, a grandmother, tells her granddaughter the story even her son has never heard: how, as a young Jewish girl in Paris, she was hidden away from the Nazis by a series of neighbors and friends who risked their lives to keep her alive when her parents had been taken to concentration camps. Hidden ends on a tender note, with Dounia and her mother rediscovering each other as World War II ends and as a young girl in present-day France becomes closer to her grandmother, who can finally tell her story. 6-10 years
Behind the Bookcase: Miep Gies, Anne Frank and the Hiding Place
By Barbara Lowell, Illustrated by Valentina Toro
Anne Frank’s diary is a gift to the world because of Miep Gies. One of the protectors of the Frank family, Miep recovered the diary after the family was discovered by Nazis, and then returned it to Otto Frank after World War II. Displaced from her own home as a child during World War I, Miep had great empathy for Anne, and she found ways―like talking about Hollywood gossip and fashion trends―to engage her. The story of their relationship―and the impending danger to the family in hiding―unfolds in this unique perspective of Anne Frank’s widely known story. 7 and up
Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued
By Peter Sis
In December 1938, a young Englishman canceled a ski vacation and went instead to Prague to help the hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Nazis who were crowded into the city. Setting up a makeshift headquarters in his hotel room, Nicholas Winton took names and photographs from parents desperate to get their children out of danger. He raised money, found foster families in England, arranged travel and visas, and, when necessary, bribed officials and forged documents. In the frantic spring and summer of 1939, as the Nazi shadow fell over Europe, he organized the transportation of almost 700 children to safety.
Then, when the war began and no more children could be rescued, he put away his records and told no one. It was only fifty years later that a chance discovery and a famous television appearance brought Winton’s actions to light. 6-8 years
The Butterfly
By Patricia Polacco
Ever since the Nazis marched into Monique’s small French village, terrorizing it, nothing surprises her, until the night Monique encounters “the little ghost” sitting at the end of her bed. She turns out to be a girl named Sevrine, who has been hiding from the Nazis in Monique’s basement. Playing after dark, the two become friends, until, in a terrifying moment, they are discovered, sending both of their families into a nighttime flight. 6-9 years
Hold on to Your Music: The Inspiring True Story of the Children of Willesden Lane
By Mona Golabek and Lee Cohen, Illustrated by Sonia Possentini
In pre-World War II Vienna, Lisa Jura was a musical prodigy who dreamed of becoming a concert pianist. But when enemy forces threatened the city—particularly the Jewish people that lived there—Lisa’s parents were forced to make a difficult decision. They chose to send Lisa to London for safety through the Kindertransport—a rescue effort that relocated Jewish children. As Lisa yearned to be reunited with her family while living in a home for refugee children on Willesden Lane, her music became a beacon of hope for those around her. 4-8 years
Survivors of the Holocaust: True Stories of Six Extraordinary Children
By Kath Shackleton, Illustrated By Zane Whittingham
Between 1933 and 1945, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party were responsible for the persecution of millions of Jews across Europe. This graphic novel tells the true stories of six Jewish children who survived the Holocaust.
From suffering the horrors of Auschwitz, to hiding from Nazi soldiers in war-torn Paris, to sheltering from the Blitz in England, each true story is a powerful testament to the survivors’ courage. These remarkable testimonials serve as a reminder never to allow such a tragedy to happen again.
Features a current photograph of each contributor and an update about their lives, along with a glossary and timeline to support reader understanding of this period in world history. 10-14 years
The Whispering Town
By Jennifer Elvgren, Illustrated by Fabio Santomauro
The Whispering Town is the story of neighbors in a small Danish fishing village who, during the Holocaust, shelter a Jewish family waiting to be ferried to safety in Sweden. It is 1943 in Nazi-occupied Denmark. Anett and her parents are hiding a Jewish woman and her son, Carl, in their cellar until a fishing boat can take them across the sound to neutral Sweden. The soldiers patrolling their street are growing suspicious, so Carl and his mama must make their way to the harbor despite a cloudy sky with no moon to guide them. Worried about their safety, Anett devises a clever and unusual plan for their safe passage to the harbor. Based on a true story. 4-8 years
Stone Angel
By Jane Yolen, Illustrated by Katie May Green
The Nazis may have taken their home, but the family still has a guardian angel. A little girl and her family live happily in Paris until Nazi soldiers arrive during World War II. They must flee or risk being sent to a concentration camp. They run into the woods where they meet resistance fighters. But they’re still not safe. They must cross tall mountains and sail in a rickety boat to England. Yet the whole time they’re struggling to survive, the little girl thinks of the stone angel near their apartment in Paris and imagines it watches over her family. 5-8 years
What Was the Holocaust
By Gail Herman, Illustrated by Jerry Hoare
The Holocaust was a genocide on a scale never before seen, with as many as twelve million people killed in Nazi death camps—six million of them Jews. Gail Herman traces the rise of Hitler and the Nazis, whose rabid anti-Semitism led first to humiliating anti-Jewish laws, then to ghettos all over Eastern Europe, and ultimately to the Final Solution. She presents just enough information for an elementary-school audience in a readable, well-researched book that covers one of the most horrible times in history. 8-12 years
Benno and the Night of Broken Glass
By Meg Wiviott, Illustrated by Josee Bisaillon
A neighborhood cat observes the changes in German and Jewish families in its town during the period leading up to Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass that becomes the true beginning of the Holocaust. The cat’s view introduces the Holocaust to children in a gentle way. 3-8 years
Star of Fear, Star of Hope
By Jo Hoestlandt, Illustrated by Joanna Kang
Set in France, during the Nazi occupation of World War II, a gentile child named Helen recalls the mounting persecution of her Jewish friend. She wonders why does her best friend, Lydia, have to wear a yellow star? Why are people in hiding and using strange names? What is Lydia afraid of? Touching upon the Holocaust with sensitivity and poignancy, Star of Fear, Star of Hope will help readers understand this difficult time in history. 7-10 years
The Harmonica
By Tony Johnston, Illustrated by Ron Mazellan
When the Nazis invade Poland, a family is split apart. The parents are sent to one concentration camp, and their son to another. Only his father’s gift, a harmonica, keeps the boy’s hopes alive and miraculously ensures his survival. 7-10 years
The Wren and the Sparrow
By J. Patrick Lewis, Illustrated by Yevgenia Nayberg
An allegorical tale about Nazi occupied Poland in which a town’s residents are forced to turn over their musical instruments. A young student rescues the hurdy-gurdy of her teacher, who has presumably befallen a terrible fate, and later, a young boy finds the instrument and intends to pass it — and the importance of remembering — on to his future grandchildren. 8-12 years
Always Remember Me: How One Family Survived World War II
By Marisabina Russo
Rachel’s Oma (her grandmother) has two picture albums. In one the photographs show only happy times — from after World War II, when she and her daughters came to America. But the other album includes much sadder times from before — when their life in Germany was destroyed by the Nazi’s rise to power. As long as Rachel can remember, Oma has closed the other album when she’s gotten to the sad part. But today Oma will share it all. Today Rachel will hear about what her grandmother, her mother, and her aunts endured. And she’ll see how the power of this Jewish family’s love for one another gave them the strength to survive. 6-10 years
Irena Sandler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto
By Susan Goldman Rubin, Illustrated by Bill Farnsworth
Irena Sendler, a Polish social worker, helped nearly four hundred Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto and into hiding during World War II. 6-9 years
The book descriptions used are from the publishers.
If you like this post, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
President Franklin Roosevelt’s Scottish terrier, Fala, appeared in newspaper photos around the world. He was so well-known that the Secret Service gave him the code name “The Informer.” When people spotted him, they knew the president was close by. Fala traveled everywhere with the president by ship, train, and car.
Posing for photographers
Fala was born on April 7, 1940. A gift to President Roosevelt, he moved into the White House in November that year. The president named him Murray the Outlaw of Falahill after a Scottish ancestor. But the puppy was too small for such a big name. The president immediately shortened it.
An exceptionally friendly dog, Fala received lots of attention. He liked to show off his tricks to White House visitors: rolling over, jumping up, speaking, lying down, and his favorite, begging. But he never let the attention go to his head. He was a down-to-earth dog.
Fala liked to dig holes in the White House lawn, burying and digging up his bones. And he was always ready to chase the White House squirrels. At night, he slept beside the president’s bed. In the morning he enjoyed a dog biscuit when the president ate his breakfast.
He received lots of fan mail, especially from children. He starred in two short films produced by MGM. His biography, The True Story of Fala was published when he was only two years old. He was also named an honorary army private. And he was given the title President of Barkers for Britain. He had campaigned to have American dog owners donate money to help the British people in World War II.
At Hyde Park with the president and a caretaker’s daughter
Fala died on April 5, 1952. He is buried in the rose garden at Hyde Park. In 1997, a memorial to President Roosevelt was dedicated near the National Mall in Washington, D.C. A statue of Fala is forever at President Roosevelt’s side.
The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C.
If you like this article, then please consider sharing it and leaving a comment below. Thank you! Barbara Lowell, Children’s Author
A Book For Kids:
First Dog Fala
By Elizabeth Van Steenwyk, Illustrated by Michael G. Montgomery
