The Grand Mosque of Paris: A Story of How Muslims Rescued Jews During the…

. This book, The Grand Mosque of Paris is a simple, easy to understand and does a great job of describing the horrors of the holocaust but reminding us of the caring people that were still around during this bit of history. The book gave an authentic description of Middle Eastern Life, both in characters and plot. I was never aware of the story of the Mosque or the Muslim peoples’ link with Jews. I find the relationship fascinating and important, because many wars start over religion, it was great to read how the religion wasn’t an issue in this story, and it was what helped save lives. The author is unsure of the exact facts, because of the situation, so there is some speculation as to the accuracy of the story, however if the people of the Paris Mosque even saved ten people they helped and made in impact on the society and the community.
This story deserved to win because of the light in which the Muslim people are described. The characters were positive examples of Middle Eastern people. One of the criteria for this award states that Muslim people are described with respect and accurately. This was done in this story. The story also has an easy to follow plot and was easy to read. History can be a difficult subject to describe and both the Muslim culture and the holocaust are difficult subjects to digest. For a children’s book to dive into this realm requires skill and artistry. The author captured the feeling, and the importance of this piece of history in her book. I believe the art helped support this text as well. ( )

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This book would also be incorporated into my WWII and Holocaust unit, which is starting to look pretty extensive. I think it is important for students to realize just how much the Holocaust affected everyone. This is important to me for a couple reasons, one there are still people who say it never happened and history that tragic should never be forgotten so that the people who died are not forgotten as well.

I learned important historical facts from this book and about the beautiful results of humanity. This book is great for children because of all of its facts and wonderful illustrations, and because it teaches readers an incredibly important lesson about selflessness and sacrifice to help those in need. My own critique would be the failure to briefly mention the reasons behind the Holocaust, i.e., racism, religious genocide, and power. Overall, this is a wonderful non-fiction book.

2nd to 8th grade. Inspiring and deeply moving, the picture book The Grand Mosque of Paris makes an important contribution to the children's literature dedicated to promoting understanding and empathy between Moslems and Jews. In it Karen Gray Ruelle presents all the still surviving evidence and stories of how Jews found refuge in the Grand Mosque of Paris during the Holocaust. It being 63 years after the events, very little detail remains of those desperate and secret acts to help. But she describes how the Mosque hid children and escaped war prisoners, and Kabyle Moslems from Algeria helped operate an "underground railroad" of smuggling Jews out of the city. Ruelle's prose is straightforward and she gives a historical account of what transpired. Sometimes the stories are less detailed than one would like, but Ruelle explains at the end that this is all the detail that is left. Deborah Durland DeSaix's oil paintings collaborate excellently with the story. Her illustrations move from scenes depicting how large the Mosque is and how forbidding the city looks, to sensitive close ups of faces involved. She incorporates a texture to the paintings that makes it look as if the story were painted on walls, a curious technique to use given how important buildings are to both religions. This book is highly recommended for public, elementary, and middle school libraries. It would also make an excellent classroom read aloud. Given the time we live in and how precious each story of bravery is from during the Holocaust, public librarians and media teachers should not pass up on the opportunity to buy this book. These stories should not pass unknown into history. ( )