The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
ljrinaldi's review against another edition
5.0
Wow.
I thought I had read enough of Nazis and concentration camps. Does the world need one more book about it, including a picture book.
Yes, they do. This picture book is the story of a real woman who lived and survived Auschwitz, and on her 20th birthday received the little heart birthday card shown in these pictures below.
It is always important, to repeat stories that we don't want to happen again. Each new generation needs to hear of what happened in the past, as the last of the survivors die off.
Very gentle, but real book. Highly recommend this to one and all.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
I thought I had read enough of Nazis and concentration camps. Does the world need one more book about it, including a picture book.
Yes, they do. This picture book is the story of a real woman who lived and survived Auschwitz, and on her 20th birthday received the little heart birthday card shown in these pictures below.
It is always important, to repeat stories that we don't want to happen again. Each new generation needs to hear of what happened in the past, as the last of the survivors die off.
Very gentle, but real book. Highly recommend this to one and all.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
panda_incognito's review against another edition
4.0
This is a picture book designed for older readers, which tells the story of a young girl discovering a special gift in her mother's belongings and asking about it. The mother shares about her experiences in Auschwitz and emphasizes the impact of this special, creative birthday card, which her friends sacrificed to make for her. This book includes a historical note at the end with real-life pictures of the fold-out card.
This book deals with the Holocaust in an accurate and serious way, while also remaining appropriate for children. Parents of very young or more sensitive kids should read this first to consider whether or not their child is ready for it, but anyone who is at a reading level to read this independently should be fine, and it would be great for family discussion or classroom engagement. The text and illustrations portray difficult realities without being graphic, and without a level of traumatic detail that would haunt a child.
This book deals with the Holocaust in an accurate and serious way, while also remaining appropriate for children. Parents of very young or more sensitive kids should read this first to consider whether or not their child is ready for it, but anyone who is at a reading level to read this independently should be fine, and it would be great for family discussion or classroom engagement. The text and illustrations portray difficult realities without being graphic, and without a level of traumatic detail that would haunt a child.
backonthealex's review against another edition
4.0
Back in 2015, I reviewed a book for teens called Paper Hearts by Meg Wiviott. A novel in verse, it told the story of two young Polish women, Zlaka and Fania, who were slave laborers in Auschwitz in 1944. At the center of the novel is a small heart, crafted by Zlatka for Fania's 20th birthday, and signed by all of the 19 girls that Fania worked with.
Now, this inspiring story has been is retold in a picture book for older readers by Anne Renaud. Fania had survived Auschwitz, and traveled to Canada after the war, married and had a daughter named Sorale, nicknamed Sandy. As a young child, Sandy understood that her mother had many secrets, among them were why she had no relatives - no mother, father, siblings, cousins. aunts or uncles, and why there was a tattooed number on her arm.
Then, one day, when Sandy was 10, she came across another of her mother's secrets. It was a tiny book shaped heart, with a purple cloth cover and the letter F embroidered in orange thread. Opening it up, she saw lots of words in different languages, but could only read a few names. Her mother finally told her daughter her secrets when Sandy asked her about the heart.
Fania begins with her imprisonment in Auschwitz, after being torn from her home and family because Hitler hated certain people, but especially Jews. In Auschwitz, she was no longer a human being but became a number - 74207. She describes the deplorable conditions she and everyone else in Hitler's concentration camps were forced to live under, how she and the other girls in her barrack worked as slave laborers in a munitions factory making weapons for the German army, and how they tried to sabotage the what they made whenever they could, and then, how they were forced to walk a mile to and from the their job in all kinds of weather. All the while, Fania searched for her family among the other prisoners, but never saw them.
Although they lived in constant fear and extreme hunger, Fania and her friends would recall recipes and food they loved. One day, Fania mentioned she was going to turn 20 soon. Imagine her surprise when she was secretly handed a small handmade heart-shaped card from her friends on her birthday. The heart was a cherished bit of hope and resilience for Fania: "It is an act of defiance. A symbol of strength. An expression of hope and love. My friends wanted to prove that despite all that was inflicted upon us, we could still treat each other with humanity. Their words saved me."
The heart is also the only tangible thing Fania had left from her past.
Fania's Heart is a very moving story. It is historical fiction based on the true experiences of Fania Fanier, née Landau. This is such a well written, poignant story of resistance and survival under such unimaginable circumstances. It begins from the point of view of her daughter Sandy, but seamlessly switches to Fania's voice, always shown in quotes. To her credit, Renaud has managed to describe the horrors of living in a concentration camp under the Nazis including enough reality without getting overly graphic, given he age of her target audience.
There is an interesting Author's Note at the end of the book that briefly describes how Hitler and the Nazis believed in the racial inferiority of certain groups of people, including Jews. It goes on to describe how Fania's heart was made and hidden from the Nazis. The heart was eventually donated to the Montreal Holocaust Museum, where it is on display.
I thought that Rudnicki's realistic watecolor illustrations captured so much truth about the harsh conditions in Auschwitz, but also the intensity of the friendships the girls developed with each other. The post-Auschwitz illustrations have a bit more clarity to them than the ones that involve Fania and her friends during the Holocaust, giving them a real sense of being a focused part of Fania's memory.
While this is an excellent telling of Fania's important story, I do wish there had been more back matter, such as a more detailed biography of Fania's life before and after the war, and a list of suggestions for further reading. For this reason, it book felt incomplete to me.
This book is recommended for readers age 7+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL
Now, this inspiring story has been is retold in a picture book for older readers by Anne Renaud. Fania had survived Auschwitz, and traveled to Canada after the war, married and had a daughter named Sorale, nicknamed Sandy. As a young child, Sandy understood that her mother had many secrets, among them were why she had no relatives - no mother, father, siblings, cousins. aunts or uncles, and why there was a tattooed number on her arm.
Then, one day, when Sandy was 10, she came across another of her mother's secrets. It was a tiny book shaped heart, with a purple cloth cover and the letter F embroidered in orange thread. Opening it up, she saw lots of words in different languages, but could only read a few names. Her mother finally told her daughter her secrets when Sandy asked her about the heart.
Fania begins with her imprisonment in Auschwitz, after being torn from her home and family because Hitler hated certain people, but especially Jews. In Auschwitz, she was no longer a human being but became a number - 74207. She describes the deplorable conditions she and everyone else in Hitler's concentration camps were forced to live under, how she and the other girls in her barrack worked as slave laborers in a munitions factory making weapons for the German army, and how they tried to sabotage the what they made whenever they could, and then, how they were forced to walk a mile to and from the their job in all kinds of weather. All the while, Fania searched for her family among the other prisoners, but never saw them.
Although they lived in constant fear and extreme hunger, Fania and her friends would recall recipes and food they loved. One day, Fania mentioned she was going to turn 20 soon. Imagine her surprise when she was secretly handed a small handmade heart-shaped card from her friends on her birthday. The heart was a cherished bit of hope and resilience for Fania: "It is an act of defiance. A symbol of strength. An expression of hope and love. My friends wanted to prove that despite all that was inflicted upon us, we could still treat each other with humanity. Their words saved me."
The heart is also the only tangible thing Fania had left from her past.
Fania's Heart is a very moving story. It is historical fiction based on the true experiences of Fania Fanier, née Landau. This is such a well written, poignant story of resistance and survival under such unimaginable circumstances. It begins from the point of view of her daughter Sandy, but seamlessly switches to Fania's voice, always shown in quotes. To her credit, Renaud has managed to describe the horrors of living in a concentration camp under the Nazis including enough reality without getting overly graphic, given he age of her target audience.
There is an interesting Author's Note at the end of the book that briefly describes how Hitler and the Nazis believed in the racial inferiority of certain groups of people, including Jews. It goes on to describe how Fania's heart was made and hidden from the Nazis. The heart was eventually donated to the Montreal Holocaust Museum, where it is on display.
I thought that Rudnicki's realistic watecolor illustrations captured so much truth about the harsh conditions in Auschwitz, but also the intensity of the friendships the girls developed with each other. The post-Auschwitz illustrations have a bit more clarity to them than the ones that involve Fania and her friends during the Holocaust, giving them a real sense of being a focused part of Fania's memory.
While this is an excellent telling of Fania's important story, I do wish there had been more back matter, such as a more detailed biography of Fania's life before and after the war, and a list of suggestions for further reading. For this reason, it book felt incomplete to me.
This book is recommended for readers age 7+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL
omgbeansgoreadabook's review against another edition
5.0
"Words have power.
There are words that injure and words that heal.
Then there are words that can save your life."
An unnamed 9 year old girl finds a tiny heart-shaped book in her mother's dresser. Thus begins the tale of her mother Fania, who was in Auschwitz during the war.
She spins a tale of sadness and heartbreak, and of a broken spirit in a broken time. She tells of how she focused on the good even amidst all of the bad.
FANIA'S HEART should be read by or to children everywhere early on in their lives, so that when they reach the right age, they're prepared for learning more in-depth about Hitler and Germany in school.
I got goosebumps reading this book. I even had some tears come to my eyes. FANIA'S HEART is a book about bravery and holding onto hope despite everything telling you to give up. Based off of an actual woman named Fania and her time spent in Auschwitz, it's a haunting yet hopeful tale that you won't want to miss out on.
There are words that injure and words that heal.
Then there are words that can save your life."
An unnamed 9 year old girl finds a tiny heart-shaped book in her mother's dresser. Thus begins the tale of her mother Fania, who was in Auschwitz during the war.
She spins a tale of sadness and heartbreak, and of a broken spirit in a broken time. She tells of how she focused on the good even amidst all of the bad.
FANIA'S HEART should be read by or to children everywhere early on in their lives, so that when they reach the right age, they're prepared for learning more in-depth about Hitler and Germany in school.
I got goosebumps reading this book. I even had some tears come to my eyes. FANIA'S HEART is a book about bravery and holding onto hope despite everything telling you to give up. Based off of an actual woman named Fania and her time spent in Auschwitz, it's a haunting yet hopeful tale that you won't want to miss out on.
bookishbrook's review against another edition
3.0
I read & evaluated this book for the Vancouver Children's Round Table (VCLR)'s 2019 Information Book Award.
This was quite a moving story, and I really liked how there was an author's note as well. That being said, the illustration style felt somewhat dated. Based on the cover art alone, I'm not sure I would be drawn to the book on a shelf. Occasionally, the narrative felt a bit didactic but it wasn't a deal breaker. Also, I felt like the photo credits were too hidden within the copyright page.
This was quite a moving story, and I really liked how there was an author's note as well. That being said, the illustration style felt somewhat dated. Based on the cover art alone, I'm not sure I would be drawn to the book on a shelf. Occasionally, the narrative felt a bit didactic but it wasn't a deal breaker. Also, I felt like the photo credits were too hidden within the copyright page.
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