Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Lee & Low Books (2011), Hardcover, 40 pages
Description
"The story of Irena Sendler, a Polish Catholic social worker who helped rescue nearly 2500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto in Nazi-occupied Poland during World War II. Includes afterword, author's note, sources, and glossary"--Provided by publisher.
Awards
Triple Crown Awards (Nominee — 2015)
Sydney Taylor Book Award (Mass Import -- Pending Differentiation)
Land Of Enchantment Book Award (Winner — Picture Book — 2015)
CCBC Choices (2012)
Language
User reviews
LibraryThing member skstiles612
My Thoughts
This was a wonderful story. This is a book I will definitely recommend to my history department at school. It is beautifully and simply written yet the message is so powerful. It is the story of a woman, one of many selfless people, willing to put their own safety on the line to save as
This was a wonderful story. This is a book I will definitely recommend to my history department at school. It is beautifully and simply written yet the message is so powerful. It is the story of a woman, one of many selfless people, willing to put their own safety on the line to save as
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many Jewish children as possible from the Warsaw Ghetto. The Holocaust happened so many years ago that our children know very little about it. This is one way to start an inquiry based lesson on the Holocaust. This is an excellent book and one that needs to be on the shelves of all schools. Show Less
LibraryThing member JanaRose1
This is a beautifully illustrated and heartbreaking story about Irena, a woman who nearly sacrificed her life to save Jewish children from the Ghetto. It is written in a very matter of fact way, which will be appealing to juvenile audiences. Overall, this book would make a great addition to any
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library or bookshelf. Show Less
LibraryThing member STBA
Irena Sender rescued over 2,500 children from the Warsaw Ghetto. The story of her bravery and quiet heroism is complemented by Mazellan’s somber-toned, expressive illustrations.
LibraryThing member Sullywriter
Great introduction to the Polish-Catholic social worker who risked her life to save nearly 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto.
LibraryThing member AbigailAdams26
One of two picture-book biographies to come out this year devoted to the story of Irena Sendler, the heroic Polish Catholic social worker who risked her life, during WWII, to rescue over 2500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto - the other being Irena Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw
This is an immensely moving story (I found myself close to weeping, at various points, while reading it), and one that deserves to be better known. It seems extraordinary to me that I know so little about Zegota - that such an organization could exist, the only one of its kind, in all of WWII-era Europe, and not receive more attention and recognition - or about Sendler. Comparisons are always odious, I know, but when one considers how much more severe the treatment of occupied Poland was, than that meted out by Germany to some other nations, it makes the existence of an organization like this all the more heroic and admirable. Marcia Vaughan is to be commended for making this important and under-appreciated aspect of WWII and Holocaust history available to young readers! I think I will try to track down Rubin's picture-book biography as well, in order to contrast and compare it to this, and perhaps the adult study, Code Name: Zegota: Rescuing Jews in Occupied Poland, 1942-1945: The Most Dangerous Conspiracy in Wartime Europe, too. Highly recommended to all young readers (middle school and above, I'd say, given some of the topics) interested in the Holocaust specifically, and resistance to evil in general.
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Ghetto, by Susan Goldman Rubin - Irena's Jars of Secrets is both informative and moving. Named for the jars - carefully buried in a neighbor's yard - in which she kept a detailed record of the real names and families of the children she rescued, the book covers Sendler's childhood, in which her doctor-father taught her to have respect for all people; her decision to become involved in Zegota (a branch of the Polish Underground set up to rescue Jews), after witnessing the horrors of the Warsaw Ghetto; her many trips in and out of the ghetto, and the many times she put her life on the line to save innocent children; and finally, the post-war effort (often futile) to reunite the children with their families. An afterword gives more details about the suppression of Sendler's story, in Communist Poland, and its revival, once democracy was established. Also included are a glossary, and a list of sources, and further reading.This is an immensely moving story (I found myself close to weeping, at various points, while reading it), and one that deserves to be better known. It seems extraordinary to me that I know so little about Zegota - that such an organization could exist, the only one of its kind, in all of WWII-era Europe, and not receive more attention and recognition - or about Sendler. Comparisons are always odious, I know, but when one considers how much more severe the treatment of occupied Poland was, than that meted out by Germany to some other nations, it makes the existence of an organization like this all the more heroic and admirable. Marcia Vaughan is to be commended for making this important and under-appreciated aspect of WWII and Holocaust history available to young readers! I think I will try to track down Rubin's picture-book biography as well, in order to contrast and compare it to this, and perhaps the adult study, Code Name: Zegota: Rescuing Jews in Occupied Poland, 1942-1945: The Most Dangerous Conspiracy in Wartime Europe, too. Highly recommended to all young readers (middle school and above, I'd say, given some of the topics) interested in the Holocaust specifically, and resistance to evil in general.
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LibraryThing member ghelmus
This inspiring, true story narrates one of the lesser-known Holocaust stories of Irena Sendler. Irena knows that the capturing/killing of the Jews is wrong, even though she is not at risk. The story is an incredible lesson on helping those in need because you know it is the right thing to do, not
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because it is convenient. Irena put her life on the line to save hundreds of children. The story is beautifully told and perfectly appropriate for students of many ages. While it does acknowledge the severity of the situation, it isn't too scary or mature for children to appreciate. Show Less
LibraryThing member jmitra1
Irena's Jar of Secrets is a book about the very dangerous work of Irena Sendler, a young woman that does social work in the impoverished areas of Warsaw, Poland during the troubled times of World War II. This book does a great job of telling her story, and children can really see how dangerous her
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activities were. Show Less
LibraryThing member lkilpa1
This pronominal children's book tells the true story of a woman who helped children escape from concentration camps during World War II. In my opinion, I loved this book. I liked it because it really pushes young readers to think about this difficult subject. I think this could be used in any
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classroom to begin the discussion of WWII. I also loved this book because Irena was a well developed character. She was incredibly compassionate and believable for the time period. A final reason I loved this book is because the illustrations enhanced the story. They were dark in color but it fits the mood of the story really well. The overall message of this story is that compassion can go a long way. Irena was able to save hundreds of children's' lives because of her compassion. Though it is a sad story, it ends on a very uplifting note. Show Less
ISBN
1600604390 / 9781600604393