Jars of Hope – Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2016

January 27, 2016

Today I am a book reviewer for the Multicultural Children’s Book Day (MCCBD). The official hashtag is #ReadYourWorld. It was founded “to spread the word, raise awareness about the importance of diversity in children’s literature and get more of multicultural books into classrooms and libraries.” Please click on the highlighted link above to see all of 200+ book reviews.

Jars of Hope

Jennifer Roy, Author

Meg Owenson, Illustrator

Capstone Young Readers, Biography, Aug. 1, 2015

Pages: 32

Suitable for Grades: 3-5

Themes: Irena Sendler, Jewish Children in the Holocaust, Poland, Rescue, Unsung Heroes, WW II

Opening: “Otwock, Poland, 1917 Irena noticed things. She noticed that some people were treated differently than others. Sometimes Irena’s father took her with him on his doctor’s visits. The children in the neighborhood where he treated patients spoke Yiddish. They also went to the Jewish Temple. Irena heard the mean things that others said about the Jewish people. Irena often played with the Jewish children.”

Publisher’s Synopsis: Amid the horrors of World War II, Irena Sendler was an unlikely and unsung hero. While many people lived in fear of the Nazis, Irena defied them, even though it could have meant her life. She kept records of the children she helped smuggle away from the Nazis’ grasp, and when she feared her work might be discovered, she buried her lists in jars, hoping to someday recover them and reunite children with their parents.

What I like about Jars of Hope:

• Jennifer Roy has written a powerful and inspiring picture book biography about a woman who saw how badly the Polish Jews were treated by the Nazis and decided to help save 2,500 children from the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust. Roy shines a light on a very dark and sad period of history.
• Roy uses dates and places to alert the reader to significant happenings and the growing tension that surrounds Irena’s work. The reader gains insight into the child, Irena, who is troubled that Jews are treated differently from the gentiles. This exposure has a profound effect on Irena and later shapes her response by 1940, when she sneaks food, supplies and vaccines to Polish Jews in the ghetto. In 1942, she smuggles infants out the ghetto and finds them new homes in convents and with families.
• This is a challenging topic to discuss with children. Roy’s storytelling of Jar’s of Hope is sensitive and uplifting.  It introduces children to the caring people who risked their lives to help the Jews during the Holocaust. There is both good and evil in the world. Irena and her helpers represent the kindhearted and heroic people who take a stand against the evil and choose to make a difference. Her story is one of hope and compassion, and showcases the very best of humanity.
• Meg Owenson’s illustrations are hauntingly beautiful in their dark muted tones. They are expressive and perfectly capture the author’s intent of showing the danger and remarkable acts of Irena Sendler’s heroism.

Resources: There is an Afterword, Author’s Note and Glossary included in the back matter. Jars of Hope is a good read-aloud and discussion book for classrooms. Children will want to know what happens to the children who are saved. Will they be reunited with their families. Irena meets some of the children years later. Check out The Teacher’s Guide to the Holocaust, which is designed for elementary students.

The MCCBD team mission is to spread the word and raise awareness about the importance of diversity in children’s literature. Our young readers need to see themselves within the pages of a book and experience other cultures, languages, traditions and religions within the pages of a book. We encourage readers, parents, teachers, caregivers and librarians to follow along the fun book reviews, author visits, event details, a multicultural children’s book linky and via our hashtag (#ReadYourWorld) on Twitter and other social media.

Join the Twitter party (#ReadYourWorld) and book give-away on Wednesday night, January 27, from 9 p.m. – 10 p.m. EST. Multicultural, diverse and inclusive books will be given away every five minutes.

The co-creators of this unique event are Mia Wenjen from Pragmatic Mom and Valarie Budayr from Jump Into a Book/Audrey Press.

MCCBD 2016 Medallion Level Sponsors include: Platinum: Wisdom Tales Press, StoryQuest Books, Lil Libros Gold: Author Tori Nighthawk, Candlewick Press Silver: Lee and Low Books, Chronicle Books, Capstone Young Readers Bronze: Pomelo Books, Author Jacqueline Woodson, Papa Lemon Books, Goosebottom Books, Author Gleeson Rebello, ShoutMousePress, Author Mahvash Shahegh, China Institute.org.

Multicultural Children’s Book Day has 12 amazing Co-Host and you can view them here.

*I received my copy of this book from the publisher Capstone Young Readers. This review reflects my own honest opinion about the book.