A Partial Annotated Reference
List
Compiled by Beth Yeager,
Irene Pattenaude, Phoebe Hirsch-Dubin
(Revised: Yeager, 2001)
(References are not listed in
alphabetical order)
(Includes references for
multiple grade levels, elementary - primary and intermediate - and secondary)
Holocaust Literature (Three
books in bold are the key pieces of literature we used to begin our focused study in 5th grade.)
*Terrible
Things, an Allegory of the Holocaust, Eve Bunting (Picture Book;
results of not speaking out, taking action to help others, 'sticking together,
etc.; appropriate for use with younger children; does not need to be used in
the specific context of the Holocaust)
*The
Children We Remember, Chana Byers Abeles (Picture Book/Photos - Not for
young children)
*Number
the Stars/¿Quién Cuenta las Estrellas?, Lois Lowry (Historical fiction
- Danish Resistance, rescue of Danish Jews, constructing definitions for
bravery/courage, taking risks, strength inunity, standing up for others)
*Darkness Over Denmark: The Danish Resistance
and the Rescue of the Jews, Ellen Levine (Non-fiction; 5th grade [maybe
4th, depending on what you're doing] and up; appropriate for middle school and high school; have not used this book as yet,
because it was not available, but is asterisked because we would definitely use
it)
The Yellow Star: The Legend
of King Christian X of Denmark, Carmen Agra Deedy (Picture book, can be used to compare across fiction , non-fiction
- and look at the power of myth as well)
*Let the Celebrations Begin!, Margaret
Wild & Julie Vivas (Picture Book; appropriate for 8 or 9 and up as well as
others; inspired by an actual event; triumph of the human spirit; taking
action)
*Hilde and Eli, Children of the Holocaust,
David A. Adler (Picture Book - Not for young children; stories of two children)
*Best Friends, Elizabeth Reuter (Picture
Book - pre-war, ending with Kristallnacht; friendship, power of words,
propaganda/brainwashing, indoctrination in schools, etc. Resonates with
children/students)
*Star of Fear, Star of Hope, Jo
Hoestlandt (Picture Book - pre-war, ending with Kristallnacht; friendship,
power of words, anger, regret, fear, hope, etc. Same as above.)
*Child of the Warsaw Ghetto, David Adler
(Picture Book - Jewish Resistance, etc.)
*A Picture Book of Anne Frank, David
Adler (Picture Book - Appropriate for 9 and up,
depending
on the student)
*Anne Frank, Yona Zeldis McDonough
(Picture Book - colorful illustrations. Same as above.)
*Anne Frank Remembered (excerpted;
available as resource)
*Anne Frank, Beyond the Diary, Ruud Van
der Rol & Rian Verhoeven (excerpted; available as resource)
*Diary of Anne Frank/Diario de Ana Frank,
Anne Frank (read portions as class)
Memories
of Anne Frank (Memories of a childhood friend), Alison Leslie Gold
*Jacob's Rescue, A Holocaust Story, Malka
Drucker & Michael Halperin (Historical fiction- Poland - based on a true
story; good read aloud)
*Bearing Witness - Stories of the Holocaust,
Hazel Rochman, Darlene McCambell (Essays - read excerpts in class)
*The Shadow Children, Schnurr (Historical
fiction/mystery - Setting is post-WWII France; mystery is grounded in what
happened during WWII. Addresses
issues of silence, speaking out, making difficult decisions, guilt, etc.
Excellent read aloud - illustrated/black and white. Wonderful book. Students
loved this book.)
*The Butterfly, Patricia Polacco
(Historical fiction/biographical - France - Resistance; helping others;
standing up for others, standing up for self, taking action, friendship.
Powerful as a read aloud.)
*Yo Soy una Estrella/I Am a Star, Inge
Auerbacher (Memoir - read excerpts in class and use poems. One poem was taught
to her as a child in camp, one written by her later - "I Wish I Were a
Little Bird" and "I Am a Star". ) (Testimony in Shoah Visual
History Archive)
*Cage, Ruth Minsky (Memoir - read
excerpts and use poem. The poem is called "Why?" and is powerful.)
The Hidden Children, Howard Greenfeld
(Non-fiction)
*We Remember the Holocaust, David Adler
(Non-fiction; recording memories)
Upon
the Head of the Goat, Aranka Siegal (Memoir - Hungary) (Testimony in Shoah Visual
History Archive)
The Upstairs Room/La
Habitación de Arriba, Johanna Reiss (Historical fiction/autobiographical - used in 6th
grade; child is hidden in Dutch countryside by farm family)
The Journey Back/El Viaje de
Vuelta,
Johanna Reiss (Historical fiction/autobiographical - sequel to above)
The Island on Bird Street, Uri Orlev (Historical
fiction inspired by the author's experiences hiding in Warsaw ghetto. My nephew
read this on his own in 6th grade when he participated in our project. He's 20
now and this is the one that's stayed with him. He still says it's one of the
best books he's ever read. Beth This book has been done as a movie and is
available on video.)
Frederick, Hans Peter Richter
(Historical fiction/autobiographical, translated from the German; point of view
- joining Hitler Youth, relationships, action and/or non-action)
*I Was There, Hans Peter Richter (Same as
above) - Read excerpts
The Devil's Arithmetic, Jane Yolen (Historical
Fiction - very popular book for independent reading/it has been done as a
television movie and there is a video. Very powerful book, especially after the
first 2 or 3 chapters.)
When Hitler Stole Pink
Rabbit/Cuando Hitler robø el conejo rosa, Judith Kerr (Historical
fiction/autobiographical)
Daniel's Story, Carol Matas (Historical
fiction; exhibit in National Holocaust Museum)
*Remember Not to Forget, Norman H.
Finkelstein (Non-fiction)
*Tell Them We Remember, Susan D. Bachrach
(United States Holocaust Museum)
*I Never Saw Another Butterfly: Children's
Drawings and Poems from Terezin Concentration Camp, 1942-1944, Publisher -
Schocken (Non-fiction)
The Lily Cupboard, Shulamith Levey Oppenheim
(Picture book; written with younger children [8, 9 and up] in mind; child goes to
live in countryside and is hidden by Gentile farm family)
My Grandmother's Journey, John Cech & Sharon
McGinley-Nally (Picture book)
All But My Life, Gerda Weissmann Klein
(Memoir - middle school, high school, adult audience)
Four Perfect Pebbles, Lila Perl and Marion
Blumenthal Lazan (Memoir)
Edith's Book, Edith Velman (Memoir)
Katarina, Kathryn Winter (Historical
fiction)
The Long Way Home, Ed. Mark Jonathan Harris
(Non-fiction - Memoir of survivors; also in video)
When the Soldiers Were Gone, Vera W. Propp (Historical
fiction, novel; post-war; written with a young audience in mind. Read it yourself to decide.)
The Secret of Gabi's Dresser, Kathy Kacer (Historical
fiction, novel; written with a young audience in mind; specifically says 8 and up. Read it yourself to decide.)
Torn Thread, Anne Isaacs (Historical
fiction, novel; written with a teen audience in mind.
The Broken Mirror, Kirk Douglas (Historical
fiction, novel)
A Special Fate - Cheuse
Sugihara: Hero of the Holocaust, Alison Leslie Gold (Biography)
We Are Witnesses: Five
Diaries of Teenagers Who Died in the Holocaust, Jacob Boas (Diaries)
No Pretty Pictures, Anita Lobel (Memoir,
memories of childhood, author is an award-winning illustrator)
Surviving Hitler: A Boy in
the Nazi Death Camps, Andrea Warren (Biographical focus on Jack Mandelbaum - Issues of survival, post-war
action, etc.) (Testimony is available in Shoah Visual History
Archive)
Night, Elie Weisel
My Secret Camera: Life in the
Lodz Ghetto,
Photographed by Mendel Grossman, Text by Frank Dabba Smith
World War II
*Nim and the War Effort, Milly Lee
(United States - homefront; Picture book)
Letters to Barbara, Leo Meter (Letters from
soldier to his daughter)
*Faithful Elephants, Yukio Tsuchiya
(Picture book - Japan, bombing of Tokyo, freeing the zoo animals)
Japanese-Americans in World
War II
Journey to Topaz, Yoshiko Ushida (Historical
fiction/autobiographical)
American Dreams, Lisa Banim (Historical
fiction)
*So Far >From the Sea, Eve Bunting
(Picture book)
Farewell to Manzanar, Jeanne Watatsuki
(Autobiographical)
*I Am an American, Jerry Stanley
(Non-fiction)
*Baseball Saved Us/El béisbol nos salvó,
Ken Mochizuki (Picture Book)
Hiroshima
*My Hiroshima, Junko Morimoto (Picture
Book)
Sadako and the Thousand Paper
Cranes/Sadako y las mil grullas de papel, Elenor Coerr (Biography)
Sadako, Eleanor Coerr & Ed
Young (Picture book biography
Taking action, peace, related
literature (partial list)
Heroic Children, Rebecca Hazell (Short
narratives about children taking some kind of action, from as far back as 1052 to 1995 - Iqbal Masih; includes
Anne Frank).
Wings, Christopher Myers (Picture
book - used in second grade; appropriate for multiple levels)
Enemy Pie (Picture book - used in
second grade)
Friends (Picture book - Used in
second grade)
*The Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought
Hate, Janice Cohn (Picture book - Billings, Montana - "Not in Our Town"; lots of words but
written with elementary children in mind - probably 8 or 9 and up. Video -
"Not in Our Town")
*Smoky Night/Noche de humo, Eve Bunting
(Picture book - Los Angeles riots; written with younger audience in mind;
helping each other; working together; taking action to reach across racial and
ethnic lines; communication; misunderstanding/common understanding, etc.)
*Peace Crane, Sheila Hamanaka (Picture
book; powerful book; appropriate for all ages; African-American child finds
relationship with the story of Sadako and the thousand cranes)
*Sueño con la Paz - Imágenes de la guerra por
los niños de la ex-Yugoslavia, UNICEF
(Dreams of Peace)
*Zlata's Diary- A Child's Life in Sarajevo,
Zlata Filopovic (Diary)
*My Dream of Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Faith Ringgold (Picture book)
*Teammates, Peter Golenback (Picture book
- friendship; taking action)
*"All
Summer in a Day", Ray Bradbury (Short story - science fiction; 5th grade
and up; treatment of
someone who is
different; consequences of envy, hatred)
*The Flame of Peace-A Tale of the Aztecs,
Deborah Nourse Lattimore (Picture book)
*Night of Sadness - The Story of an Aztec
Victory
*Peace Begins With Me/Tiempos de Paz,
Katherine Scholes (Picture book - written with young audience in mind;
appropriate for all elementary ages, grades 1 - 5 (maybe 6)
*The Big Book for Peace
*Eagle Song, Jospeh Bruchac (Contemporary
fiction - Mohawk boy in the city. Relates to Peacemaker story and
Confederation. Good read aloud. Resonated very well with students.)
*I Have a Dream, Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr. (Illustrated edition; beautiful illustrations; all ages)
*Pinecone Patch, Thomas F. Yezerski
(Picture book - Irish and Polish immigrants come together in a small, fictional
town through one couple)
*Malcolm X - A Fire Burning Brightly,
Walter Dean Myers (Picture book biography)
*Prietita and the Ghost Woman/Prietita y la
llorona, Gloria Anzaldúa (Picture book - retelling of traditional story
that represents a "powerful, positive side" to la Llorona, "a
side that represents the Indian part and the female part of us. I want to
encourage children to look below the surface of things… to discover the truths that may be hidden."
*Voices of the Heart, Ed Young (Picture
book - Artist uses Chinese characters and his interpretations to define
characteristics/ways of being, such as "respect - the heart honors
others"; all ages)
*Life Doesn't Frighten Me, Maya Angelou
(Illustrated poem; all ages)
*Painted Memories/Spoken Words (Picture
book. Excellent book; important as we talk with linguistically diverse
students)
*Family Pictures/Cuadros de mi familia,
Carmen Lozas Garza (Picture book - art, family stories)
*Mi Familia/My Family, Carmen Lozas Garza
(Picture book - art, family stories)
Friends from the Other
Side/Amigos del otro lado (Picture book)
*Los Cazadores Invisibles/The Invisible
Hunters (Picture book - Nicaraguan folktale that was a way of dealing with
the European conquest)
*Something Beautiful (a young
African-American girl finds beauty in the ordinary in her neighborhood; takes
action)
Children Just Like Me, UNICEF (Picture book)
*Secret of the Peaceful Warrior, Dan
Millman (Picture book; a particular way of looking at resolving conflicts)
How the Children Stopped the
Wars, Jan
Wahl (Fiction - fantasy)
War and the Pity of War, Ed. Neil Philip (Poetry
anthology; upper elementary, but especially middle school and high school)
*Who Belongs Here, An American Story, Margy Burns Knight (Picture book, immigration)
*One Grain of Rice, Demi (Picture book -
folktale; math; division of resources to help others)
The Burnt Stick, Anthony Hill (Historical
fiction - separation of indigenous [aboriginal] children from their families -
Australia)
At the Crossroads, Rachel Isadora (Picture
book - South Afrcia)
Rebel!, Allan Baillie Di Wu
(Picture book – Burma
Kate Shelley - Bound for
Legend,
Robert D. San Souci (Picture book based on a true story; taking a risk to take
action)
The Deliverance of the
Dancing Bears,
Elizabeth Stanley (Picture book - taking action on behalf of animals)
Cesar Chavez (Biography)
The Road from Home - The
Story of an Armenian Girl, David Kherdian
*On the Wings of Peace - Writers and
Illustrators Speak Out for Peace
*Just Like Me (Picture book - stories and
self-portraits by a diverse group of artists)
*Honoring Our Ancestors (Picture book -
Paintings and stories honoring ancestors of a diverse group of artists. A wonderful and beautiful book.)
If You Could Be My Friend:
Letters of Mervet Akram Sha'bam and Galit Fink, presented by Litsa Boudalika
Margaret and Margarita, Lynn Reiser (Picture book -
bilingual issues, friendship)
My Very Own Room/Mi propio
cuartito,
Amada Perez (Picture book - child taking action - family)
Nobody Knew What to Do: A
Story About Bullying, Becky Ray McCain (Picture book)
The Wisdom Bird: A Tale of
Solomon and Sheba, Sheldon Oberman (Picture book appropriate for many levels; a retelling of two legends; emphasis on
celebrating differences and coming together)
The Story of Colors/La
Historia de los Colores, Subcomandante Marcos (Picture book, folktale from the jungles of Chiapas, a perspective on the
struggle of the indigenous peoples and the Zapatistas, through folklore)
Related Literature - United
States History (partial list)
The Story of Ruby Bridges, Robert Coles (Biography -
Picture book - Used in 2nd grade)
Through My Eyes, Ruby Bridges (Autobiography
with photos)
A Picture Book of Rosa Parks
*La Expedición, Willi Baum (Wordless
picture book - Effects of conquest; action)
*Follow the Dream, Peter Sis (Picture
book - Traditional account of Columbus)
*Encounter, Jane Yolen (Picture book -
Historical fiction; account of Columbus from point of view of Taino Indians)
*The World in 1492 (Non-Fiction - the
world in 1492 beyond Europe)
Morning Girl, Michael Dorris (Historical
fiction - from point of view of Taino girl)
*Hiawatha, Messenger of Peace, Dennis
Brindell Fradin (Biography; Iroquois Confederacy)
Hiawatha, founder of the
Iroquois Confederacy, Nancy Bonvillain (biography)
*The People Shall Continue, Simon Ortiz
*The Trail of Tears, R. Conrad Stein
(Non-fiction)
Death of the Iron Horse, Paul Goble (Picture book)
Sequoyah (biography)
The Cherokees (non-fiction)
Tecumseh (Non-fiction)
Weasel (Historical fiction - 1830;
relationships with Native Americans)
*Charlie's House, Clyde Bulla (Easy
historical fiction; colonial period - indentured servants; slavery; helping others; taking action; quick read aloud)
*To Bigotry No Sanction: The Story of the
Oldest Synagogue in American, Leonard Everett Fisher
*Second Daughter, The Story of a Slave Girl
(Historical fiction - the story of Elizabeth Freeman, from the point of view of
a fictional sister; point of view, taking action, slavery to freedom)
Abigail Adams, Angela Osborne (Biography;
women; taking action)
*Young John Quincy (Picture book -
Declaration of Independence)
Fighting Ground, Avi (Historical fiction -
War for Independence; horrors of war)
Black Indians, William Katz (Non-fiction)
Black Heroes of the American
Revolution
(Non-fiction)
Many Thousand Gone - African
Americans from Slavery to Freedom, Virginia Hamilton (Non-fiction collection)
Black Heroes of the Wild West, Ruth Pelez (Non-Fiction)
Across Five Aprils (Historical fiction - Civil
War)
Bull Run, Paul Fleischmann
(Historical fiction - Civil War; battle from fictional characters telling their stories from multiple points of view)
*The Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln,
illustrated by Michael McCurdy (Illustrated version)
*Pink and Say, Patricia Polacco (Picture
book - historical fiction based on a true story; Civil War; friendship across
races; action)
*Reluctant Witnesses: Children's Voices from
the Civil War, Emmy Warner (Non-fiction)
Come All You Brave Soldiers:
Blacks in the Revolutionary War, Clinton Cox (Non-fiction)
*John Brown; One Man Against Slavery,
Gwen Everett (Picture book; taking action; protest)
*Amistad Rising, Veronica Chambers
(Picture book; true story; taking action)
Nightjohn, Gary Paulsen (Historical
fiction; slavery; taking action; taking a risk; resistance)
Sarny, Gary Paulsen (Historical
fiction)
Soldier's Heart, Gary Paulsen (Historical
fiction, inspired by a Civil War soldier's story; effects of war)
The Rifle, Gary Paulsen (Historical
fiction; the story of one gun and its impact on lives)
Cheyenne Again, Eve Bunting (Picture book;
historical fiction; a young boy has been taken from his family and placed in English language school;
intolerance, language, sense of self, Native American, taking action)
*One
More river to Cross - An African American Photograph Album, Walter Dean
Myers
*Dinner
at Aunt Connie's House, Faith Ringgold (Picture book, art, historical
fiction, biography; African-American women)
*A History of US, Joy Hakim (U.S. history
series)
*A History of Multicultural America,
William Katz (U.S. history series; alternative points of view)
*American Reader, Diane Ravitch (Primary
sources - essays, speeches)
*Us and Them: The History of Intolerance in
the US, Jim Carnes (Southern Law and Poverty Center)
From Slave Ship to Freedom
Road, Julius
Lester & Rod Brown (Some difficult text; a picture book in the sense that it has powerful paintings, but not
for young children; has both expository text and "imagination
exercises".
Let It Shine: Stories of
Black Women Freedom Fighters, Andrea Davis Pinkney
Books Across Curriculum -
Understanding the actions of historians, scientists, mathematicians, artist,
etc.; understanding history - point of view, interpretation of evidence, change
over time; other related literature)
*The Iceman, Lessom (Non-fiction;
Understanding actions of scientists, historians, anthropologists)
*Errata, Hemesch Alles (Picture book;
historical interpretation; understanding errors in historical representations)
*Motel of the Mysteries, David McCauley
(Fiction; parody; historical/anthropological interpretation of evidence)
*Under the Moon, Dyan Sheldon (Picture
book; historical change over time; connections)
*A River Ran Wild, Lynne Cherry (Picture
book; environmental change over time; connections)
Mathematicians are People,
Too, Lucetta
Reimer (Biographies; understanding the actions of mathematicians)
Talking With Artists, Cummings (Essays by
artists; understanding the actions of artists and illustrators)
Scientists, Reid and Fara (Non-fiction;
understanding the actions of scientists)
Museum Curator, Judith Tropea (Non-fiction;
understanding the actions of curators)
Science (ethics, action,
etc.) (a very partial list)
*The Story of Rosy Dock, Jeannine Baker
(Picture book; introduction of species and impact on environments; individual and collective
responsibility)
The Great Kapok Tree(English and Spanish
version), Lynne Cherry (Picture book)
Rain Forest, Helen Crowcher (Picture
book)
Where the Forest Meets the
Sea,
Jeannine Baker (Picture book - Australia)
Life in the Sea, Marty Snyderman
Mother Earth, Father Sky
Earth Book for Kids, Linda Schwartz
The King's Fountain, Lloyd Alexander (Fantasy;
use of resources - water; community responsibility)
Video/Film
*The Iceman (Interpretation of
evidence, forming theory; understanding actions of scientists and social scientists)
*Nova: Working together (Series of
stories about groups of scientists working together collaboratively)
*Children Remember the Holocaust
(Afterschool Special)
*Not in Our Town (the story of
Billings, Montana; taking action, speaking out)
*Miracle
at Mireaux (Taking action to help others; learning from others; would show
if time)
*Anne
Frank Remembered (show excerpts)
*The
Diary of Anne Frank (movie)
*Tak for Alt (Thanks for Everything)
(Story of Judith Meisel, Santa Barbara resident, Holocaust survivor)
*Miracle at Midnight (television
movie - Denmark)
*Dateline - Interview with Meip Geis
*20/20 excerpt - Hidden Children
*Shoah
(show excerpt)
*Lodz
Ghetto (show excerpt)
*Race
for Freedom (Television movie - Underground Railroad)
*Eyes
on the Prize (Documentary - Civil Rights movement)
*Shadow
of Hate (Southern Law and Poverty Center; history of intolerance in U.S.)
*500
Nations (PBS Documentary - Native Americans; show excerpts)
*American
Revolution (PBS Documentary; show excerpts)
*The
West (PBS Documentary; show excerpts)
*Civil
War (PBS Documentary; show excerpts)
*The
Fight in the Fields: Cesar Chavez and the United Farmworkers (PBS
Documentary)
*The
Perfect Tribute (Television movie - Gettysburg address)
*The
Devil's Arithmetic (Would show if time for sure)
*The
Island on Bird Street (Would show if time)
Schindler's
List (Not at
school with 5th graders)
From
Simon Wiesenthal Center:
Genocide (If used in
classroom, for older students)
Liberation
The Long Way Home
Software
*Survivors:
Testimonies of the Holocaust (Shoah Foundation)
*Cheyenne
Dog Soldiers: A Courageous Warrior History (Metaphor Publishing - Told
through pictographic drawings of the Dog Soldiers; some testimony from
descendents; museum tour; museum curators)
Other Resources
Living
Voices
(Interaction between live theater and video) (206-328-0798)
Titles: Through
the Eyes of a Friend (Anne Frank); The New American (Early 20th century
immigration); Northwest Passages; The Right to Dream (Civil Rights); *Within
the Silence (Japanese American internment) (Available to us this year through a
local community organization); Journey from the Dust (Dust Bowl)
*Museum
of Tolerance (Simon Weisenthal Center - Los Angeles)
*The Story in History - Writing Your Way into
the American Experience, Margot Fortunato Galt (Teacher resource - Teachers
and Writers Collaborative, New York)
*Teaching for a Tolerant World (Grades K-6),
Ed. Judith Robertson and The Committee on Teaching about Genocide and
Intolerance (National Council of Teachers of English;
essays
and resources)
Teaching for a Tolerant World
(Grades 9-12),
Ed. Carol Danks and The Committee on
Teaching
about Genocide and Intolerance (National Council of Teachers of English; essays and resources)
*"Teaching Tolerance", regular publication
(magazine) of the Southern Law and Poverty Center