Someone Named Eva

When is a Czechoslovakian girl not a Czechoslovakian girl? When she is dragged from her family and placed in a German repatriation program where she is only allowed to speak German and is eventually adopted by a German family. Only in Someone Named Eva, Eva, real name Milada, makes the effort to always remember who she really is. And that someone is from Lidice, Czechoslovakia, where she was the fastest runner in school, loved to star gaze and ride bikes with her best friend, had a big brother, a baby sister, and a beloved grandmother, mother and father. She also had Aryan features, which is why the Germans snagged her.

But I didn't understand why the people of Lidice, Czechoslovakia were singled out by the Nazis until I read the Author’s Note. Resistance fighters made an attempt on Hitler’s favorite officer, Heydrich, also known as the “Butcher of Prague.” Nazi intelligence thought there was a connection between the village of Lidice and the resistance fighters (wrong) so they took revenge on it’s 500 inhabitants. The men and teenage boys were shot, the “acceptable” children where sent to the repatriation program and the rest of the children and women where sent to work camps. Then the Nazis razed the town, turning it into nothing but a field.

Shannon and I read this one together and enjoyed discussing it along the way. The constant theme throughout was to never forget who you are.

Ages 9-12
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Activity: I followed a link mentioned by the author to the Lidice Memorial. I noticed this museum on the site where the town of Lidice once stood is sponsoring an annual, international art contest for children ages 4-16. Get out your art supplies and send your entry by March 15, 2011.

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011

Happy New Year to you all. 

It’s resolution time! In 2011, I resolve to:
1. Blog more
2. Redesign my blog
3. Discover more great history for children.

As we say goodbye to last year,  I thought I'd look back on what history titles the publishing world offered children in 2010.  This assortment includes one written by the President. It’s a clever introduction to thirteen famous Americans. As a whole, the group is not concentrated on any one era or theme. Titles range from the age of dinosaurs to the invention of the Apple computer.  

It will be interesting to see what 2011 offers. What are your resolutions?

BEACH WEEK - D-Day

TITLE: Invasion: The Story of D-Day

AUTHOR: Bruce Bliven Jr.

WHO WAS AT THE BEACH? Allied and German forces

WHAT BEACH AND WHEN? Along a 50 mile stretch of coastline, in the Normandy area of France, on June 6, 1944, the greatest invasion in history was implemented by the allied armies.

WHAT HAPPENED?  Paratroopers were badly scattered on the ground, amphibious vehicles took on seawater faster than bilge pumps could empty them and rifles became clogged with sand. This was a day of tragedies that somehow turned into triumph. That triumph part may well be owed to a handful of infantry men that were very determined to break through the German lines. It's these accounts that make Invasion: The Story of D-Day so interesting. It's a great overview of the battle that changed the tide of World War II. 

Ages 12 and up
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Activity: Try this free online D-Day game.

A Father Daughter Story

I love this picture book. It is about a father and daughter reconnecting after he returns from World War II. The author remembers an adored over-sized flannel shirt from her own childhood. A similar shirt plays a pivotal role in Crow Call, as do slices of cherry pie and a crow call. With these simple elements a father and daughter begin to know each other again. The Andrew Wyeth like illustrations are stunning. This is a great selection for father's day.

Ages 6-12
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Activity: Who will be the first in your family to spot a crow? How many crows will you spot before school starts again in the fall? Here's what to look for...

American Girl

American Girl has a knack for publishing great books for girls and these Welcome to _______’s World titles are no exception. Plus what a selection:

• Welcome to Felicity's World, 1774: Growing Up in Colonial America
• Welcome to Kirsten's World, 1854: Growing Up in Pioneer America
• Welcome to Addy's World, 1864: Growing Up During America's Civil War
• Welcome to Josefina's World 1824: Growing Up on America's Southwest Frontier
• Welcome to Samantha's World-1904: Growing Up in America's New Century
• Welcome to Kit's World, 1934 : Growing Up During America's Great Depression

I am impressed by the amount of information in these generously sized books. In Welcome to Molly's World,1944: Growing Up in World War Two America the pages are brimming with collage style layouts. You learn not only about the causes and logistics of the war but about how it effected the work force, fashions and lifestyles on the home front. Interspersed among all the interesting details are stories of Roosevelt’s fireside chats, British orphans and a leukemia afflicted Japanese girl, Sadako.

Unfortunately it appears that these are out of print. But luckily they are still available through out-of-print sources.

Ages 9-12
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Activity: Help Molly lend a hand on the home front. Here is a fun online game from American Girl!

The Great Escape: Tunnel to Freedom

Ryan just spent any available time he had with his nose in The Great Escape: Tunnel to Freedom. He was fascinated by this true story of 200 German prisoners of war building a tunnel and disposing of all the displaced sand right under their guards noses.

I noticed it is a Sterling Point Book. I reviewed another of their books last week, The Stout-Hearted Seven: Orphaned on the Oregon Trail. This publishing house produces a bounty of history titles for children, including Alexander the Great, John Paul Jones: The Pirate Patriot and George Washington: Frontier Colonel.

Since I did not read The Great Escape, I decided to interview Ryan and get his opinion for this post.

Ages 12 and up
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Activity: It's a big job to build a human-sized tunnel. If you have a pet gerbil or kitten, you could build one for them. Tape together the middle section (after you cut off the top and bottom) of plastic liter bottles or the boxes that soda cans come in. Keep in mind that to build a tunnel of comparable length to the one in the book you will need approximately 300 boxes or 600 liter bottles.

Tuskegee Airmen - Wind Flyers

Wind Flyers is a beautifully illustrated introduction to the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II. It tells the story of a young boy's love of flight leading him on a journey to war torn skies, and then home again with a lasting pride in his accomplishments.

The author includes a note that explains how these segregated squadrons came to be, and how Tuskegee, Alabama produced six hundred pilots and 145,000 support personnel.

Ages 4-8
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Activity: Children between 8 and 17 interested in flying can become a Young Eagle and receive a free local airplane ride. Here are the details.

ORPHAN WEEK - Surviving Hitler

TITLE: Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps

AUTHOR: Andrea Warren (again)

WHO IS THE ORPHAN? This is the true story of Jack Mandelbaum from Gdynia, Poland. He was born in 1927.

HOW WAS HE ORPHANED? Jack came from a loving family and lived an idyllic childhood. As the Nazis were gearing up to invade Poland he still didn't think of himself as Jewish, probably because his parents did not attend weekly services. Jack was a public school student where he learned prayers from nuns and priests and joined his Catholic friends for Christmas choraling. He thought of himself first and foremost as Polish.

Then Jack's life changed from days of contentment to days of avoiding the Nazis to winding up in a concentration camp, separated from his family. Though he did not know it, he was orphaned during this time. His father died in another concentration camp, his mother and younger brother died in a gas chamber and his older sister was shot by the Nazis.

WHAT WAS ORPHAN LIFE LIKE FOR HIM? Jack recounts what concentration camp life was like (and it isn't pretty). It was filled with tiny scraps of putrid food, work, beatings, lice, filth, disease and near starvation. Friendships with fellow captives and his determination to be reunited with his family, whom he thought still alive, kept him going.

WHAT WAS HIS TURNING POINT? Liberation was an ecstatic time but also heartbreaking as he pieced together what happened to his family.

HOW DOES HIS LIFE TURN-OUT? Jack immigrated to the United States and wound up in Kansas City. He was a successful businessman who married and had seven children. He became active in Holocaust survivor groups but made a point of not allowing himself to be consumed by hate.

“God gave us the power to be good or evil. This is our choice. Because some pick evil, we must work together to recognize and stop it. But while we survivors may lead the charge, we cannot do this alone. It must be the goal of all people.”

This is a hard story to share with children, but they must be made aware of it, so they can be ever vigilant as the future unfolds.

Ages 12 and up

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Activity: How many countries can you name that were invaded by the Nazis during World War II?

Save the Hippos

Hanna’s Cold Winter is a great reminder that wars affect more than soldier’s, war-zone civilians and policy makers. Reminiscent of our recent arctic like weather, this is the true story of a winter so cold that the Danube froze. On top of that, World War II was in progress with the Russians on one side of that frozen river facing off against the Germans on the other. And due to disrupted distribution routes, food was scarce. Budapest residents and their beloved hippopotamus’ at the zoo had something in common...they were all cold and hungry. But the former concocted an idea to help the later. They collected straw in the form of hats, mats and slippers and fed these to their famous hippos, aiding in their survival until spring.

Besides providing a sneaky tour of Budapest, this book also gives children a sense that even in a dire situation, there are ways THEY CAN help.

Ages 6-9

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Activity: How well can you take care of the animals at the zoo? Try taking this Zoo Vet game for a test drive.

Eye Witness to History

The Roman philosopher Seneca wrote of his day at the Coliseum watching the Gladiators. Pliny the Younger recalled in a letter how he barely survived the Pompeii disaster of 79AD. Sadie Frowne told of immigrating to America from Poland and Lady Bird Johnson recorded her memories of the day JFK was shot. All these juicy tidbits from history have been collected at an amazingly well organized site, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com.

Browse fascinating written eyewitness accounts from the making of a mummy to Nixon leaving the Whitehouse. But there are also recorded voices, fascinating photos and amazing videos available too.

Warning...addictive browsing. Very bookmark worthy.

Ages 9 and up
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A Stitch in Time

Here are two satisfying stories with more than a few things in common. They are both about children and their mothers carrying on with their lives at war’s end. They each contain lessons about creating something when your resources are slim to none. Sewing is the dominate theme in each book. And each story ends with a reward: supplies for a new school in one case and a much needed coat in the other.

The promise implied in the title, The Promise Quilt, was made to Addie by her father before he joined General Lee’s army. That promise was that he would take Addie to school. He never returns from the war, but his red shirt is sent to the family from a woman at the Northern hospital where he died. Mama gives the sentimental shirt to Addie. They continue on, doing what they need to survive. When Addie brings up going to school, her Mama reminds her that the soldiers burnt the school down.

“But Papa promised!” Addie cries. Mama tries to find a way to make school a reality for Addie. A neighbor offers his shed as a makeshift shoolhouse but they need money for supplies. When Mama writes the woman at the Northern hospital, she replies with the suggestion that Mama make a quilt, send it to her, she will auction it off and put the money towards books. When Mama is almost finished with the quilt she realizes that she doesn’t have enough material for the border. Do you see where this is going? Addie offers her father’s shirt. Everything falls into place, Addie goes to school, and in a way, Papa kept his promise.

Candice F. Ransom does an excellent job of giving a child’s perspective of the Civil War and it’s after effect. It's a lovely, bittersweet selection.

Ages 6-9
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This book is a lesson in resourcefulness and in the processes involved in making a coat. A New Coat for Anna takes place in Europe after World War II. Anna has outgrown her coat, but new coats and money are scarce. Anna's mother trades possessions with people who can provide the material or service she needs to get Anna a coat. After their year long project is finished, Anna and her mother celebrate Christmas Eve by inviting over the farmer, spinner, weaver and tailor. And, of course, Anna visits the sheep the next day to show them her coat made from their wool.

Your children may never look at their clothes in the same way again. This is a very clever and appealing book.

Ages 6-9
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Activity: Can you help make a coat by putting the necessary procedures in the correct order?

Navajo to the Rescue

Native Americans have saved pale faces from some dire situations a time or two. After all where would the Plymouth Colony have been without the aid of Squanto? Jamestown without Pocahontas? And during World War II, the United States military without the Navajo code talkers?

Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two, is a great source for learning about the later. The voice in this book belongs to a Navajo, Ned Begay, who is telling his grandchildren about his youth at boarding school and then his life as a marine.

Prior to World War II schools were organized to give Navajo children an "American" education. Talking in their native tongue was not allowed, and in fact, evoked severe punishment. The irony is that during the second World War the Navajo language that these children spoke secretly among themselves saved untold American lives.

The Japanese were decoding secret messages easily until the idea was implemented to use the unwritten, isolated Navajo language. Recruits from the southwestern reservation created their own code, substituting Navajo words for the military words they resembled. For instance, the Navajo word for “tortoise” was used in place of “tank” and “dive bomber” was the Navajo word for “chicken hawk.” Or words could be spelled out using the Navajo word for “ant” or “apple” or “ax” for an “A” and so on.

This book not only chronicles the way in which the code evolved, but also the Pacific campaign itself. The main character is involved in the invasion of Bougainville, Guam, Pavavu, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. You get a feel for what the war was like for these soldiers and the unbending determination of the Japanese to NEVER surrender. Also the specific concerns of the more than 400 code talkers; their fears of deep water, dead people and of being mistaken for Japanese, as they shared such similar physical characteristics.

It is an eye-opening book in many ways.

Ages 12 and up
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Activity: Can you break this code using the Navajo code talker's alphabet? TSE-GAH WOL-LA-CHEE CLA-GI-AIH BI-SO-DIH TSAH-AS-ZIH CHA A-KHA DIBEH-YAZZIE YEH-HES BE BE-LA-SANA TSAH-AS-ZIH DIBEH!

Untold Stories Of The Second World War: The Navajo (Part 1)

Untold Stories Of The Second World War: The Navajo (Part 2)

Untold Stories Of The Second World War: The Navajo (Part 3)

Curious George vs Adolph Hitler

What do Henry Kissinger, Peter Max and Curious George have in common? They were all German Jews who escaped the Nazi's clutches by fleeing to the United States. Well, on second thought, I don't think Curious George was really affiliated with any religion, but his creator, H. A. Rey, was born into a Jewish family in Hamburg in 1906. And in The Journey That Saved Curious George : The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H.A. Rey you'll learn how the Reys and their unpublished manuscript got the heck out of Europe just as the Germans were rolling into Paris.

The book is in a scrapbook format with actual photos, notes, and Rey's drawings commingled with Allen Drummond's nice pen and ink illustrations. Personally, Shannon and I think that the author, Louise Borden, gives a little too much back story. She reports on the couples German childhoods, their years in Brazil with pet monkeys (which is important to know!), and then their life in Paris and other parts of France. All of this was a little excruciating for Shannon. Then comes where I think the book should have started (after just a blip about their background). In order to escape the advancing German army, the Reys, along with about five million other people, decided to flee Paris and head south. It was the largest motorized evacuation in history and there was no room for the Reys on anything motorized. So they went bicycle shopping. The only bike left for sale was tandem and Margret wasn't going for it. So Hans (H. A.) bought parts to make two bikes that he cobbled together himself. On these, the Reys, and the manuscript that would be Curious George, pedaled to Portugal where they caught a train for the coast where they caught a ship for the western hemisphere. The Reys wound up in New York City and Curious George, published in 1941, wound up selling over twenty-seven million copies.

And I can't help but wonder what creations did not escape.

Ages 9-12
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Activity: What was Hitler screaming into the phone in August of 1944? Solve this word puzzle to translate.

The Little Ship That Could

Here's another embarrassing admission. Until I tripped upon this book at the library, I had never heard of the Dunkirk evacuation. Turns out it's a tale not to be missed! World War II was full of gloom what with gas chambers, death marches, mass graves and every sort of bombing imaginable. This book tells of the unusually uplifting event that occurred between May 26 and June 4, 1940. Hitler’s army had pushed hundreds of thousands of allied forces up against the French shoreline at Dunkirk with no foreseeable means of escape. Then a hastily assembled flotilla of 846 boats of every imaginable variety appeared and rescued 338,226 troops. Many of those boats included civilian fishing vessels and pleasure craft. In The Little Ships: The Heroic Rescue at Dunkirk in World War II, Louise Borden creates a satisfying story based on fact. A British girl, disguised as a boy, joins her father on their fishing boat for the fifty mile Strait of Dover crossing to Dunkirk where she sees the devastation of the war, helps where she can, and keeps an ever vigilant eye on the lookout for her soldier brother.

Ages 6-12

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Here is some interesting actual footage of the evacuation.

Activity: It's game time. Can you Pin the Boat on the Strait of Dover and save the allies?

Birds of a Feather

I found two TRUE stories involving two kinds of birds during two different wars. Both will give children insight into how civilians are affected by war.

In The 18 Penny Goose, a pet is left behind when a family flees from approaching British troops during the American Revolutionary War. Out of desperation young Letty leaves a note for the soldiers pleading with them to spare her beloved gander, Solomon. Even though this book is an "I Can Read Book 3", it's sparse words effectively convey the anxiety of leaving your home not knowing what you will find when you return. My daughter was aghast at the notion that soldiers would enter a private residence and take stuff. In the end Solomon is saved, but the rest of the gaggle is not so fortunate. Letty finds a reply to her note as well as payment for the geese consumed. A well told story of an actual event. The nice illustrations include interesting details.

Ages 4-8

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Pigeon Hero! is about an atypical World War II hero. In this account a messenger pigeon named G. I. Joe saves an Italian village from an American bombing raid. Unbeknownst to the Yanks the Germans have already fled the area and the only thing they would be bombing are innocent civilians. In this "Ready-to-Read Level 2" story G. I. Joe overcomes tough odds to deliver the message in the nick of time. The raid is called off, the village is saved and G. I. Joe receives a medal of honor. It is fascinating to learn how pigeons were used during the war. For instance, they were kept on battleships and even submarines to be released with notes in the event of danger. Children will be enthralled with this story.

Ages 4-8

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Activity: Help G. I. Joe deliver a message. Can you find the way through the maze?

I'M FEELING GENEROUS! Leave a comment for a chance to win both of these books! I will pick a winner on Monday, August 17th.

The Old Ball Game

Here are a couple of good book ideas for any baseball fan.

First I’ll discuss a book that is about the sport of baseball and men with the God-given talent to play it well, while dealing with the human-made obstacle of segregation. We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball is a beautiful book brimming with luscious paintings by Kadir Nelson. Most of the paintings are static portraits of Negro League greats like John Henry “Pop” Lloyd, Oscar Charleston, Wilber “Bullet” Rogan and Josh Gibson. What I especially love are the scenes Nelson captured with his brush: The Monarch’s dug out, The Chicago American Giants disembarking from the train, Jackie Robinson stealing home plate, some of the Newark Eagles singing five part harmony on the team bus, a double page spread of Josh Gibson watching Satchel Paige pitching to Buck Leonard.

The forward is written by none other than Hank Aaron. The text is written by the artist himself in the anonymous voice of a Negro League player and covers the history of the league from the 1920’s to 1947 in 10 chapters (labeled as nine innings with one extra inning). You get a feeling for the personality and special talents of the players and managers. It is somewhat rambling at times, but what really struck me (I haven’t followed baseball since the Cincinnati Reds’ “Big Red Machine” days in the 70’s) was the ominous presence of segregation. It seems so weird that a team bus would sometimes drive through town after town without finding a restaurant that would serve blacks. “No shirt, no shoes, no service” makes sense but to not serve someone who has money a pork tenderloin sandwich with fries because of their skin color seems as culturally odd to me as Chinese women binding their feet or polygamy or scalp collecting, or I don’t know, cannibalism or something. Just odd.

For the sake of history I’ll share a family tale as it relates to segregation. My mother was born in 1928 in a small southern Indiana town. She told me about the segregated schools. Her home on North Broadway was near the black only Broadway School but she went to school a couple of blocks in the other direction on South Broadway. Her family employed a black cook named Lucy. Sometimes Lucy would take my Mom to a picture show (most probably a Shirley Temple movie). In the segregated theatre they would have to sit in the balcony which my Mom thought was pretty neat, but I wonder how that felt to dear, sweet Lucy? By the way, many years later, when Mom and Dad would go out on a Saturday night, Lucy would watch us (and cook what seemed like a feast after my cooking-challenged mother’s meals). We LOVED Lucy. She had a deep, pleasant laugh. We played old maid and a multitude of other games. We serenaded her with her favorite songs. She read us The Golden Book of 365 Stories. I vividly remember one New Year’s Eve when she filled the family room with colorful balloons and we stomped on them at midnight. Once she took us to see Biscuit Eater at the same theatre she had taken my mother years before. And we all sat together on the main floor. That movie was a tearjerker.

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball winds down, as did the Negro League, with Jackie Robinson’s historic move to the majors. This book opened my eyes to the burden placed on Robinson. For anyone with an interest in baseball or segregation, this is an exceptional book.

Ages 9-12
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Activity: Click here for a coloring page of Jackie Robinson and here is a Negro League Baseball word search puzzle.



The other book, Moe Berg: The Spy Behind Home Plate was also interesting. I enjoyed getting to know Moe, someone I am ashamed to say, I had never heard of. He was the child of emigrant Ukrainian Jews who grew up pitching for his Newark, New Jersey school team while excelling in his classes. He was one of only a handful of Jews to attend Princeton at that time where his special talents were baseball and languages, his major. Upon graduation he signed on with the Brooklyn Robins (later called the Brooklyn Dodgers). He eventually attained a law degree and practiced law while playing ball in the Major Leagues in the spring and summer. How impressive is that!? When World War II was just heating up, Moe’s skill with languages (he could speak eight fluently) and his fame as a ballplayer made it handy for him to travel through baseball loving countries like Japan and those in Latin America and collect useful information for the U.S.A. Before all was said and done he was living a bit of a James Bond lifestyle, tracking down German scientists in a race to the atom bomb. This is definitely a life story worth reading!

Ages 9-12
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Of Presidents and Dogs

Maybe you have heard that the OBamas got a dog? Bo has been a resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for less than a month and he is already the subject of two books, Bo, America's Commander in Leashand Bo Obama: First Dog of the United States of America. This got me thinking about the canine/president relationship and I uncovered a couple of interesting books along that vein.

First up is First Dog Fala by Elizabeth Van Steenwyk. Fala was Franklin D. Roosevelt's Scottish terrier and constant companion. Children will learn that FDR was president during World War II and the events of Pearl Harbor and D-Day, that he had polio, that he was the only president to serve three terms and that Fala's likeness sits beside FDR's memorial statue. Includes cute Fala anecdotes and is nicely illustrated.

Ages 4-8
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The other book tells the true story of a pre-president's kindness. George Washington and the General's Dog (Step-Into-Reading, Step 3) by Frank Murphy, takes place during the Revolutionary War. After a battle (Germantown) the colonials find a dog and discover that the name inscribed on its collar is non-other than William Howe (the British General!...Washington's nemesis!) Even though the officers think they should keep the dog out of spite, George Washington makes no bones about returning the dog to it's master. He writes Howe a note to that effect (this is really cool - a copy of the actual note is in the back of the book!), arrangements are made, and the dog is reunited with it's rightful owner. After that, word gets out back in England and British hearts are softened by the kindness of George Washington. The book incorporates interesting facts I had never considered. For example, it was not uncommon for soldiers to take their dogs with them as they could track, help hunt and guard against wild animals. Great book.

Ages 4-8
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