Deborah Hodge

Rescuing the Children: The Story of the Kindertransport explains the history of the Kindertransport, a short-lived effort to move Jewish children out of Nazi-occupied areas at the onset of World War Two. The text succeeds at recognizing and celebrating that nearly ten thousand children escaped persecution and that many lived accomplished lives despite being ripped from their families and subsequently discovering the many horrors of the Holocaust.

This is an important, sensitive book for young show more readers. World War Two ended almost seventy years ago, and the name Adolf Hitler is not nearly as frightening today as it was to my generation. Rescuing the Children presents the history of this aspect of the war clearly, without being unnecessarily dramatic or graphic. It provides some context for understanding the rise of the Nazis and the persecution of the Jews. More importantly, it makes the abstract concept of the long-ago Kinder real by introducing eight specific children, complete with photographs and stories told in their own words.

Although this is a book for elementary-school–aged children, there is an afterword intended for adult readers to guide younger readers. The Holocaust is a difficult event to explain to anyone, especially young readers encountering it through the eyes of other children, and the resource list is a welcome, helpful addition to the text.

I was really struck by this book. It's small and colourful, yet its subject hit me hard. My only quibble with the book is the treatment of the art. There are powerful images included here that, for various reasons, are sometimes quite small in their presentation. Readers can pursue these images separately if they wish, however. The overall range of images is impressive, and the design is thoughtful and balanced.

I recommend this book for school and public libraries and for classroom purchase. It provides age-appropriate resources for readers and could support a variety of learning activities. It may be an appropriate volume in some home libraries as well. Librarians, teachers, and parents will need to be prepared to answer the difficult, and perhaps unanswerable, question, How did this happen? I hope a new generation of readers will be moved by this text to renew our human promise that something like the Holocaust must never happen again. show less

This book is even better than Deborah Hodge's Up We Grow, which I reviewed last year. In this accessible picture book, she introduces us to gardening in a city, especially for and with children.

First of all, having drooled over Brian Harris' photographs, I now have a not-so-secret longing to relocated to Vancouver. It appears to be the most fun, green city ever!

The book is divided into four sections, Growing, Sharing, Eating, and Caring. The gentle questioning of the text and many show more photographs show all the overlooked places where gardens can flourish and will inspire readers to find their own corners for growing food (I'm thinking those really sunny windowsills in the library...if I can just keep the kids from knocking over the pots...) Additional suggestions and information on growing food is included in small boxes.

The sharing section talks about the ways people share food - and space. Community gardens, city farmers, urban farmer's markets, and creating gardens that attract wildlife are all included. Eating discusses ways to use the food you've grown in your garden and Caring shows how city gardens can help people and the environment flourish. A brief note about Urban Agriculture explains more of the benefits of city gardening and lists all the beautiful gardens in the photographs.

Verdict: This is a must have for your library. Even if you live in a small town and not a city, like me, there are many people who live in apartments or have small or nonexistent gardens. This is the perfect book for encouraging gardening with children in unique spaces. Pair this with DK's Ready Set Grow for a great combination of gardening ideas and finding spaces for the gorgeous green!
ISBN: 9781554536184; Published February 1, 2011; Review copy provided by publisher through Raab Associates. show less

This is a good read for anyone that needs and uplifting story of a child approaching adversity, seeking reassurance, and getting the help that they need to confidently move forward. Hodge does a wonderful job helping the reader understand the discomfort and confusion of discovering things are not happening the way that they should. LIly and learning to read in grade two but when she she looks at the page:

"The letters dance and blur in from of her eyes. Her head pounds. She tries and tries, show more but she just can't read the words."

Lily is believable. She runs joyfully with the other children, plays tag, has a best friend, and paints wonderful pictures, but she gets a knot in her stomach when she thinks about reading out load. What a wonderful book to have in the classroom! Because she feels so behind and ashamed she hasn't made the people around her aware of what's going on and feels worthless. The quick transitions from the world of Art where Lily goes joyfully and the dancing world of printed words is well-done.

There will be many relatable moments for anxious learners, children hesitant to read-out-loud, or even those that enjoy teaching other friends. Who knows how Lily's dream of becoming an artist will go, but as a reader I feel confident that she will know how to approach challenges, work through them, and deliver even when it seems too daunting. The style of illustrations and the blocks of text would meet the needs of a child in elementary school. The cover is one of the more abstract and imaginative images and depicts Lily in the midst of imagining, rearranging, and learning. It's certainly an uplifting story. show less

I really enjoyed this story for many reasons. The illustrations throughout the book really enhanced the feeling that the little girl in the story was feeling. Throughout the story Lily is very frustrated with the difficulty she has with reading. The illustrations seem to portray the feeling of confusion and frustration. The character of Lily was another reason why I enjoyed this story. She was a very well written character that many children could possibly relate to. The feelings and show more discouragement that Lily faces throughout the story is very common in kids learning to read. This story allows readers to think about the many issues that occur when you are first learning to read. Teachers give up on Lily and kids also make fun of her in class. Many students go through this everyday and this story relates and reaches out to those kids. show less