Angel Girl by Laurie Friedman, illustrations by Ofra Amit

Angel Girl by Laurie Friedman, illustrations by Ofra Amit

Book Review by Sandy Hall

“Herman lives in a labor camp. It is 1942, and the Nazis have made him a prisoner. He is forced to work long hours. His only food is soup made of water. Soon he loses the will to go on.

“Then she appears. A young girl on the other side of the barbed-wire fence – an angel girl, bearing food and hope in the most hopeless of times. She seems like a miracle.

“For Herman, the miracles have just begun…..

“Based on a true tale of survival, Angel Girl is a story of love, hope, and the strength of the human spirit.” (quoted from the dust jacket)

This beautiful story is told by Laurie Friedman and illustrated by Ofra Amit. Published in 2008, the book tells the story of a young Polish Jewish boy of eleven caught up in the events of World War II. His mother tells him to say he is sixteen when they are taken to a concentration camp. He lives and works in the camp with the men but gradually loses hope. A young girl outside the camp begins to appear each day and throws him an apple. When the camp is liberated, he never sees her again…..that is, until one day…….

You may want to watch this youtube video about this boy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULcvUxd_Ngo. Although there has been much written and said about this story being untrue since the book was published, including Herman who later admitted it was not true, still it is a beautiful story. The book was removed from publication, which is probably why I found an ex-library copy at a thrift store. If it was reprinted without claiming to be a true story, it would perhaps then be an enjoyable read as fiction.

Laurie Friedman wanted to be an author since she was in third grade. She was born in 1964 and grew up in Arkansas. She attended Tulane University where she studied literature, and also studied at Sorbonne University in Paris, France. She spent many years writing for the advertising industry and as a free-lance writer for newspapers and magazines. Friedman has written many books for children including the Mallory McDonald chapter books and The Mostly Miserable Life of April Sinclair. I have not read or seen those but they seem to be typical modern realistic fiction. She writes, “It makes me feel better when I read about a character going through something similar to what I’m going through, and seeing how that character handles the situation.” Laurie also have written some rhyming children’s picture books.

Ofra Amit “has illustrated several children’s picture books in Israel…..Angel Girl is her first children’s picture book in the United States. She hopes the illustrations will help bring this inspiring story into readers’ hearts. Ms. Amit lives in Sede Warburg, Israel.” (from the dust jacket) She is one of Israel’s premiere illustrators and has won many awards. Her work is very modern and abstract which I don’t normally enjoy.  Her drawings of people’s faces are always with long noses and wide-set eyes. In the case of this book’s illustrations, these sad faces work perfectly with the text. She conveys the fear, struggles, and hopelessness of the concentration camp without being too vivid.

Over the years, many moms of elementary children have asked for books about the Holocaust that would be appropriate for their families. Often it’s difficult to find books that tell the story without being too harsh for younger, more sensitive children. I think there are two sides to this issue of exposure to such horrors. Those who died and those who survived should never be forgotten. The depravity of man can sink to a very low point which usually doesn’t help a child to know. And yet, these stories of survival, courage, and the strength of humankind in the worst of difficulties should be told. And stories like this the one in this book show the providence of God even in the hardest of circumstances. This book should definitely be pre-read by a parent before sharing it with your children. Then be ready to discuss the mature content in light of historic events. I think if my own children were young, I would wait until age 10 and older, even though this is a picture book. And we would read it along with our studies of world history and those tragic events.

Many years ago, I made a journey to Israel to study at the Jerusalem Institute of Holy Land Studies. Our group took a day to visit the Yad Vashem, a museum in honor of those Jews killed in the Holocaust as well as a memorial of the Gentiles who came to the aid of many Jews. Being there was a humbling experience, even for me as a young adult. How pampered we are with our “first-world problems.” I admired the courage of Gentiles who helped to hide Jews at the risk of their own lives. At the Yad Vashem, I saw children visiting with their families despite the utter terror of the large photos and videos. The Jews want their families to remember, to know. Perhaps we are a little too removed here in America, both geographically and historically, from this kind of persecution. I don’t know….it will be up to you as parents to know and to tell in your own time what happened there so long ago.

Other books have been written for children and young people on the Holocaust and World War II that show the awful, fearful side, but also tell of courage, survival, the struggles to rebuild, the sacrifices made for others. These books, I believe, help to balance the dark side of this historic event with light. I don’t think it hurts to think through how I would act in the same situations, and to help our children ponder that as well. Would I follow the example of those who faced the evil and countered it with good?

Another picture book along this theme that I have included in my library is Elisabeth by Claire A. Nivola. This book tells the story of a young Jewish girl who loved her doll very much but had to made the difficult decision to leave her behind when her family is forced to flee Germany during World War II. Eventually, that doll finds its way back to her. I highly recommend this title; it is less graphic about the Holocaust than Angel Girl  and still helps you see the providence of God in an amazing way.

Another picture book that I recommend is Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot by Margot Theis Raven, although it takes place just after World War II. When Stalin blocked all ground routes coming in and out of Berlin, Americans and Britains helped to fly in supplies. This is the true story of a seven-year-old girl and one of the pilots who brought hope to the children.

The Yellow Star: The Legend of King Christian X of Denmark, written by Carmen Agra Deedy, and illustrated by Henri Sorensen, retells the story in picture book form of King Christian and the Danish resistance to the Nazis in World War II. This story is a legend, and there is no proof this story is true, but it “has been passed down through the years as fact. It's a story about the kind of leader you always want to serve, who is thoughtful, intelligent, and loves his people. This is a great short story to use in the study of WWII.” (Amazon review)

Irena Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto by Susan Goldman Rubin and 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.” (amazon review)

One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II. When author/illustrator Lita Judge found hundreds of tracings of feet in her grandmother’s attic, she was intrigued and moved to share the story behind them. Judge bases this quiet, moving story of kindness and healing on her own family's history. After World War II, her grandparents organized a relief effort from their Midwest farm and sent care packages to more than 3,000 desperate people in Europe. In each spread, a young girl describes how she helps Mama with the packages. The stirring art in Judge's first picture book includes not only beautiful, full-page watercolor paintings of a family making a difference but also dramatic collages of black-and-white photos, newspaper cuttings, letters that Judge found in her grandparents' attic, and the foot tracings sent by Europeans desperate for shoes. There is no talk of the enemy. Judge focuses on the dramatic, realistic details of those in need ("We have only one pair of boots and must take turns") and the strength of those who fought "a battle to keep families alive" after the military battles were over. (amazon review)

The next step up from a picture book that I would recommend is the short chapter book The Little Riders by Margaretha Shemin, illustrated by Peter Spier. "Take care of the little riders," says Johanna's father to the eleven-year-old when he leaves her with his parents for an extended vacation in their Dutch village. And Johanna does. She loves the twelve metal figures on horseback who ride forth each hour from the clock on the ancient church tower. She would do anything to protect them, anything. And on night she risks her life to prove it. Set during the Second World War when the German army occupied Holland, The Little Riders is an exciting, moving adventure story, just right for reading aloud. (Amazon review)

If you do find Angel Girl and read it, please let me know your thoughts.

(all rights reserved. Sandy Hall 4/7/2018. Please ask permission to publish this elsewhere. Thank you.)

J. Walker McSpadden’s Romantic Stories for Young People

J. Walker McSpadden’s Romantic Stories for Young People,

a series about the history of specific US states

Very little information is available online about this author, J. Walker McSpadden. He was born on May 13, 1874, in Knoxville, TN, the third child of Wilkie and Margret. He graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1897. Somehow he met and fell in love with a young lady from Binghamton, NY, and on December 16, 1902, he and Inez McCrary married in her home town. They had one son, Chester Ford, and one daughter, Florence, who died in NYC at age 37 in 1948. At some point he lived at 137 Grove St., Montclair, NJ. Several of the adult books he wrote center around there.  McSpadden evidently also lived in NYC and was a member of the National Arts Club of NYC; his involvement there prompted his book for children, Famous Painters of America, in 1916. He is mentioned in the 1917-1918 edition of Who’s Who in New York, a Biographical Dictionary of Prominent Citizens of New York City and State, edited by Herman W. Knox.  Although he is mentioned in such a prestigious list, it seems strange that so little is known of his life. He registered for the draft in 1917, but there is no record of him going to war or receiving a veteran’s pension. McSpadden traveled a lot; his name is listed on several ships’ records, from France, England, Hawaii, and other far-flung places. World Cat lists him as an author, editor, translator, author of introduction, composer and adaptor. He died on February 9, 1960 and was buried near my home town in Johnson City, NY.

McSpadden was a prolific writer, authoring several hundred books, mostly for children. He wrote the series “The Romantic Story of…..” about various states, twelve in all. They include: Michigan, Illinois, Massachusetts, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Texas, New York, California, and Virginia. I believe that is all that he did; I can’t find any more listed anywhere. Each book is about 120 pages, published by J.H. Sears & Company in the 1920s, and illustrated by Howard C. Hastings. These books are true “living” books, a story within a story. I have read three of them so far and stayed up way past my bedtime to finish them. The Michigan story was about a family traveling by ship through the Great Lakes from Chicago to New York state. And if you know your geography, that journey included Lake Michigan, up through the Straits of Mackinac, Lake Huron, then down the Detroit River past the city of Detroit, and on to Lake Erie and eventually Lake Ontario. All along this journey the father in the story tells his children the history of the state of Michigan. The Pennsylvania title tells of a Boy Scout troop that is camping for a week in the wilds. Two of the boys take refuge from a storm in the cave of a “mountain man” who tells them the history of Pennsylvania. Each book is like this – a story within a story. Each one gives the highlights of the state’s history. McSpadden deals fairly with the Native Americans’ plight, defending their right to their land, telling in a balanced way how they were treated by settlers as well as of their raids and massacres.

I learned so much from these books, especially Michigan, even after having lived in Michigan for many years. Obviously, states’ histories overlap, so as you read you see the connections in their histories. The books are well-written in short chapters, excellent vocabulary, but in story form to make them interesting to young people. I think these books could be used as spines in your study of a state. The topics covered for each state are like looking across the mountain tops, seeing the high points of each period of history. Then further study could be done on each of the events or people mentioned. I’m surprised these have not been listed on any quality lists of children’s history books. I picked up one copy at Half Price Books recently and immediately ordered the rest on Amazon, Abebooks, and Ebay.

If you want to know more about the illustrator of these books on the states, Howard L. Hastings, he is discussed here: https://www.pulpartists.com/Hastings.html

The introduction to these books on the states was written by McSpadden,

“This series of ‘Romantic Stories of the States’ is addressed to everyone, young and old, who is not ‘dead of soul,’ as Scott so aptly put it a century ago. Most of us would resent being called unpatriotic, and yet how many of us know the story of our native state? How many of us have stopped to trace the colorful adventures of the hardy pioneer fathers and mothers who laid the first hearthstones in the wilderness?

“If we trace the story of each one of our states back to Colonial times, we find that the well-springs of history bubble over with adventure and romance. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction, as the reader will find repeatedly in following these tales of bygone days. And in the writing of them, we have adhered closely to historical fact, oftentimes gathering the local color from some ancient volume which was published only a few years after the occurrences – as for example the narratives of the travels of the explorer himself.

“In each instance the story is followed from earliest Colonial times to the dawn of statehood. We enter the primeval forest or the pathless plain, and we witness, step by step, its slow emergence and transformation into a busy, thriving commonwealth. This book is not intended as a history, as much as a series of historic incidents, or sidelights which reveal the spirit of the times.

“It is addressed both to young folks who revel in adventure, and to their elders - the man and woman who hearken back with pride to their native heath, although they may have been absent from it for many years, and now want their children to know something of its rich past. To all such we hope the book will come with the memory-laden fragrance of a breeze from the mountains or across the prairies ‘back home’.

To still a third group of readers, this series is offered – the harassed librarian or teacher who is often asked questions in regard to local history. They know that while it is easy enough to get material about the United States as a whole, the occurrence closest home is often most elusive.

“These stories may be called adventures in patriotism. They are culled from a wealth of material in our heroic past, in the hope and belief that they will bring back to us all, whether young or old, something of the rich heritage which clings to our native soil.”

Some have raised the question about the word “romance” in the titles of these books. These are definitely not romantic stories like those in cheap novels of today. A romance is “in traditional literary terms, a narration of the extraordinary exploits of heroes, often in exotic or mysterious settings. Most of the stories of King Arthur and his knights are romances. A romance is a novel or other prose narrative depicting heroic or marvelous deeds, pageantry,….usually in a historical or imaginary setting.” (www.dictionary.com). These were popular in the High Middle Ages and early modern ages, and again in the late 1800s into the mid-1900s.

McSpadden wrote many other books for children and young people. He authored a book about Robin Hood, holidays, operas and musical comedies, animals of the world, Hawaii, stories from Dickens, stories from Wagner, the quest for gold and many others. He also translated such books as Pinocchio, and wrote introductions for books such as The Three Muskateers. Now that I know what a great writer he was, I am keeping my eyes open for more. They are well-worth owning!

(all rights reserved. Sandy Hall 4/5/2018. Please ask permission to publish this elsewhere. Thank you.)