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Irena Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto
Irena Sendler was a diminutive Polish social worker who helped spirit more than four hundred children out of the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. Using toolboxes, ambulances, and other ingenious measures, Irena Sendler defied the Nazis and risked her own life by saving and then hiding Jewish children. Her secret list of the children's real identities was kept safe, buried in two jars under a tree in war-torn Warsaw.
An inspiring story of courage and compassion, this biography includes a list of resources, source notes, and an index.
An inspiring story of courage and compassion, this biography includes a list of resources, source notes, and an index.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published March 10, 1984
9 people are currently reading
1337 people want to read
About the author
Susan Goldman Rubin
74 books62 followersSusan Goldman Rubin is the author of more than forty-five books for young people, including Andy Warhol: Pop Art Painter; The Yellow House: Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin Side by Side; and Edward Hopper: Painter of Light and Shadow. A long-time instructor in the UCLA Extension Writers Program, Susan Goldman Rubin lives in Malibu, California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
January 14, 2012
This is the eighth book I’ve read by Susan Goldman Rubin, and I have a ninth one on reserve at the libary. All have received 4 or 5 stars from me. She’s fast becoming one of my favorite non-fiction children’s picture book authors.
I’m deliberately reading this book and Irena's Jars of Secrets on the same day.
I was particularly touched by Irena’s story and by the way it was told by this author. It’s truly an amazing story about a remarkable woman, someone who I’m ashamed to say I’d never before heard of until recently; ditto for the resistance organization Zegota she worked with.
Interestingly, there is an intersection of this story with the one told in The Zookeeper's Wife.
This is an excellent story for introducing, or furthering the knowledge, of the Holocaust to children ages 8 or 9 through 13.
The stories of some of the children Irena personally helped to save, and those she helped after the war too, were very interesting. It’s heartening for me to read about the brave gentiles that went out of their way to save Jews in Nazi occupied Europe, at great risk to themselves. Ditto for those who save people at risk in other genocides and conflicts.
I also liked how this telling shows how hard the children had it, even those who were ultimately saved and thrived at war’s end. The children often had to be moved frequently for their safety. The boy who said “Can you tell me please how many mommies one can have? I am going to my mommy number 32.” broke my heart.
I was particularly appreciative that Irena’s plans were to return the children to their true families and took action to helped ensure that would happen if at all possible and also how she prepared children to assume new identities and learn what they needed to know to do that. I also highly respect that while she was Polish Catholic she didn’t do what she did because of her religion but because she felt it was the right thing to do.
The illustrations here are excellent, both colors and style wonderfully meshing with the narrative. They definitely helped me get immersed in the story.
The Afterword is a necessary part of this book. Irena’s good deeds went usually unnoticed and sometimes punished until decades later when the Communist regime in Poland collapsed. Then, her feats were celebrated, though she remained always humble. What a lovable woman. When called a hero she said “ A hero is someone doing extraordinary things. What I did was not extraordinary. It was a normal thing to do.” When readers read what the Gestapo did to her, when they read the dangers she constantly faced, I think they’ll feel differently. If only more people would do “normal things” the Holocaust and other genocidal actions wouldn’t happen, at least not on a large scale.
The end of the book has a Resources section with lists of Books, Videos, Testimonies from Vad Vashem Reference and Information Services, Stories unpublished in English, Interviews with the Author, Correspondence, and Source Notes, Acknowledgements, and an Index.
Irena’s story is a wonderful one to use as a springboard for talking about doing the right thing, about how much one person/one movement (because Irena did work with others) can accomplish, as well as about this specific Holocaust experience. I can’t stress enough how much I admire the Holocaust’s Righteous Gentiles; I always put myself in their place and try to imagine how I’d act in their place, hoping I could be as brave and unselfish as they were.
I found this story haunting, suspenseful, and ultimately very uplifting.
4 ½ stars
I’m deliberately reading this book and Irena's Jars of Secrets on the same day.
I was particularly touched by Irena’s story and by the way it was told by this author. It’s truly an amazing story about a remarkable woman, someone who I’m ashamed to say I’d never before heard of until recently; ditto for the resistance organization Zegota she worked with.
Interestingly, there is an intersection of this story with the one told in The Zookeeper's Wife.
This is an excellent story for introducing, or furthering the knowledge, of the Holocaust to children ages 8 or 9 through 13.
The stories of some of the children Irena personally helped to save, and those she helped after the war too, were very interesting. It’s heartening for me to read about the brave gentiles that went out of their way to save Jews in Nazi occupied Europe, at great risk to themselves. Ditto for those who save people at risk in other genocides and conflicts.
I also liked how this telling shows how hard the children had it, even those who were ultimately saved and thrived at war’s end. The children often had to be moved frequently for their safety. The boy who said “Can you tell me please how many mommies one can have? I am going to my mommy number 32.” broke my heart.
I was particularly appreciative that Irena’s plans were to return the children to their true families and took action to helped ensure that would happen if at all possible and also how she prepared children to assume new identities and learn what they needed to know to do that. I also highly respect that while she was Polish Catholic she didn’t do what she did because of her religion but because she felt it was the right thing to do.
The illustrations here are excellent, both colors and style wonderfully meshing with the narrative. They definitely helped me get immersed in the story.
The Afterword is a necessary part of this book. Irena’s good deeds went usually unnoticed and sometimes punished until decades later when the Communist regime in Poland collapsed. Then, her feats were celebrated, though she remained always humble. What a lovable woman. When called a hero she said “ A hero is someone doing extraordinary things. What I did was not extraordinary. It was a normal thing to do.” When readers read what the Gestapo did to her, when they read the dangers she constantly faced, I think they’ll feel differently. If only more people would do “normal things” the Holocaust and other genocidal actions wouldn’t happen, at least not on a large scale.
The end of the book has a Resources section with lists of Books, Videos, Testimonies from Vad Vashem Reference and Information Services, Stories unpublished in English, Interviews with the Author, Correspondence, and Source Notes, Acknowledgements, and an Index.
Irena’s story is a wonderful one to use as a springboard for talking about doing the right thing, about how much one person/one movement (because Irena did work with others) can accomplish, as well as about this specific Holocaust experience. I can’t stress enough how much I admire the Holocaust’s Righteous Gentiles; I always put myself in their place and try to imagine how I’d act in their place, hoping I could be as brave and unselfish as they were.
I found this story haunting, suspenseful, and ultimately very uplifting.
4 ½ stars
June 8, 2020
Another picture book I was quarantined with, and I'm so glad I was, otherwise I may have missed a gem. ;)
The illustrations are beautifully done, and I learned so much more about this amazing, brave woman and the resilient children (and adults) she saved. I was especially moved by the account of the records she kept hoping to reunite families one day. <3
Given the serious subject matter, I would recommend this book for older readers or with parental guidance for young ones.
The illustrations are beautifully done, and I learned so much more about this amazing, brave woman and the resilient children (and adults) she saved. I was especially moved by the account of the records she kept hoping to reunite families one day. <3
Given the serious subject matter, I would recommend this book for older readers or with parental guidance for young ones.
February 12, 2018
Plan for about an hour to really give this book justice. Such a powerful, true story!
February 26, 2019
Ho apprezzato molto questo romanzo.
Purtroppo qui non sono riuscita a trovare l’opera verità è propria che ho letto,ovvero “Irena Sendler la terza madre del ghetto di Varsavia” di Roberto Giordano, un romanzo che consiglio a tutti di leggere, perché purtroppo o per fortuna fa capire.
Questo romanzo parla di una storia REALMENTE ACCADUTA durante la Seconda Guerra Mondiale, in cui la nostra protagonista Irena Sendler, a soli 30 anni, è riuscita a salvare 2500 bambini dal Ghetto di Varsavia.
Questa è una storia molto interessante e commovente per me, come una donna rischia la propria vita per salvarne delle altre.
Nel libro ci sono anche delle curiosità interessanti, perché lui ha incontrato di persona la ex bambina più piccola salvata da Irena, ovvero Elzbieta Ficowska, che è stata l’unica a sapere la propria data di nascita grazie a un cucchiaio su cui è inciso il suo nome sopra e la sua data di nascita.
È davvero un libro toccante, che consiglio a tutti quanti di leggere!
Purtroppo qui non sono riuscita a trovare l’opera verità è propria che ho letto,ovvero “Irena Sendler la terza madre del ghetto di Varsavia” di Roberto Giordano, un romanzo che consiglio a tutti di leggere, perché purtroppo o per fortuna fa capire.
Questo romanzo parla di una storia REALMENTE ACCADUTA durante la Seconda Guerra Mondiale, in cui la nostra protagonista Irena Sendler, a soli 30 anni, è riuscita a salvare 2500 bambini dal Ghetto di Varsavia.
Questa è una storia molto interessante e commovente per me, come una donna rischia la propria vita per salvarne delle altre.
Nel libro ci sono anche delle curiosità interessanti, perché lui ha incontrato di persona la ex bambina più piccola salvata da Irena, ovvero Elzbieta Ficowska, che è stata l’unica a sapere la propria data di nascita grazie a un cucchiaio su cui è inciso il suo nome sopra e la sua data di nascita.
È davvero un libro toccante, che consiglio a tutti quanti di leggere!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 9, 2019
I want to read more books about this brave woman. This particular book is written for children with beautiful pictures. Ms. Sendler was a young woman who smuggled Jewish children out of the Warsaw ghetto during World War Two. She saved hundreds of children using ingenious and daring methods. This woman should be honored for her courage.
September 7, 2013
Title / Author / Publication Date: Irena Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto/Susan Goldman Rubin/2011
Genre: Non-Fiction
Format: Hardcover
Plot Summary: Irena Sendler was a diminutive Polish social worker who helped spirit more than four hundred children out of the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. Using toolboxes, ambulances, and other ingenious measures, Irena Sendler defied the Nazis and risked her own life by saving and then hiding Jewish children. Her secret list of the children's real identities was kept safe, buried in two jars under a tree in war-torn Warsaw. An inspiring story of courage and compassion, this biography includes a list of resources, source notes, and an index.(GoodReads)
Considerations or precautions for readers advisory: Content deals with the Nazis, death, persecution, and the Holocaust.
Review citation: Morrison, H. (2011). Irena Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto (Book Review). Bulletin Of The Center For Children's Books, 64(10), 488-489.
Section source used to find the material: Children's Core Collection, Most Highly Recommended
Recommended age: 8 and up
Genre: Non-Fiction
Format: Hardcover
Plot Summary: Irena Sendler was a diminutive Polish social worker who helped spirit more than four hundred children out of the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. Using toolboxes, ambulances, and other ingenious measures, Irena Sendler defied the Nazis and risked her own life by saving and then hiding Jewish children. Her secret list of the children's real identities was kept safe, buried in two jars under a tree in war-torn Warsaw. An inspiring story of courage and compassion, this biography includes a list of resources, source notes, and an index.(GoodReads)
Considerations or precautions for readers advisory: Content deals with the Nazis, death, persecution, and the Holocaust.
Review citation: Morrison, H. (2011). Irena Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto (Book Review). Bulletin Of The Center For Children's Books, 64(10), 488-489.
Section source used to find the material: Children's Core Collection, Most Highly Recommended
Recommended age: 8 and up
April 7, 2012
After watching The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler I was curious to learn more. I was happy to see that there was a picture book biography of her life. I was pleasantly surprised because I haven't found that many picture books set during that time period--World War II. The Holocaust isn't a subject that is easily taught or presented to young readers, the subject matter itself is difficult even for adults. (There are *some* great picture books out there, I know, I've read them. But there aren't as many books about the Holocaust as say farm animals or dinosaurs!) It was also nice to see a picture book biography about someone whose story is not widely known, someone whose story is worth telling. (Not that Anne Frank's story isn't worth knowing, but she does seem to be represented a lot.) I enjoyed this modest little picture book that painted the picture of a woman who did what she could, when she could, because it was right. To save Jews was the right thing to do, end of story.
June 24, 2011
Irena Sendler didn’t see herself as a hero. She credited heroism to the children she rescued and the parents who set them free. Irena Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto is a glowing example of why picture books are not just for the young. In fact, using illustrated narrative to tell the story of a difficult time in history, sets the tone and helps to place the event in time through pictures, while teaching children the importance of historical events. Sendler was a young Catholic social worker when her native Poland fell to Nazi rule during World War II. Not capable of standing idly by, Sendler joined the resistance movement to fight Nazi domination and worked tirelessly and fearlessly to save the lives of hundreds of Jews, mostly children. This book is a great teaching tool for second grade teachers on up. It will provoke conversation, empathy and inspiration.
January 21, 2021
This is an amazing true story of Irena Sendler who rescued almost 400 Jewish children in Poland. Very moving story, and a must for a homeschooling library. The illustrations by Bill Farnsworth are stunning.
July 12, 2016
I know I've done a number of nonfiction books about Irena Sendler or fiction in which she played a part. It seems to me that while they all tell the basic story of how Irena entered the Warsaw Ghetto during WWII to help the Jewish children there, they all add new information about this remarkable woman. Irena Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto is not exception, and is filled with information for the older picture book readers.
After the merciless bombing of Warsaw by the German Luftwaffe in 1939, Irena, then a deeply religious young Catholic social worker, did her best to help the wounded and needy. Because of bombings all over Poland, Warsaw began to see an increase in refugees arriving and needing help. Unfortunately, the Germans also arrived, occupying what remained of Warsaw. Concerned, Irena joined the Polish resistance movement. With a crew made up of her girlfriends, Irena helped care for the Jews in Warsaw, targets of the Nazi occupiers, providing food and false documents so they could get help.
In 1940, as the Germans rounded up more and more Jews, forcing them to live in increasingly cramped quarters behind the brick and barbed wire wall they were forced to build and that formed the Warsaw Ghetto, conditions quickly deteriorated. Capitalizing on the Nazi's fear of epidemics, Irena and her friends dressed as a nurses and entered the ghetto. Inside, people, including children, were begging for food, sleeping in doorways and dying in the streets.
In 1942, the Nazis began to round up Jews for deportation to Treblinka, a death camp. Irena realized it was time to do something about saving the Jewish children in the ghetto. But how?
Using the code name "Sister Jolanta," Irena joined an underground organization, code named Zegota, As part of this group, Irena, along with trusted friends, commanded the Department of Help for Jewish Children. But the group knew that good intentions wouldn't rescue children, that each rescue had to be minutely planned and carried out down to the smallest detail. And one by one, Irena and her helpers managed to convince the parents of almost 400 Jewish babies and children to allow her to smuggle them out of the ghetto and to places of safety - with no guarantees.
Irena kept meticulous records of who the children were and where they were sent. Amazingly, after she was captured and tortured by the Nazis, Irena never gave anything away. And just before her execution, the resistance, with some costly inside help, managed to rescue her. Sadly, her days of working for the resistance were over, as she also had to go into hiding, in a safe house she at used for Jewish children in the Warsaw Zoo. The list of the children's real identities were buried in a glass jar under a tree in a friend's and survived the war and was turned over to the Jewish Committee.
Each time I read a nonfiction work by Susan Goldman Rubin, I am amazed at how much information she is able to include without overwhelming the reader with too many facts and dates, but giving them just what they need to understand the events she is writing about. And Irena Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto, a picture book for older readers, is not exception.
Written in a very readable documentary style, readers will feel the tension and danger these brave people in the Polish resistance faced every day, the indecision of parents asked to trust Irena with the lives of their children, and the confusion of some of the older kids. What seems like the unimaginable, becomes real in this well-done, well-researched book, perhaps because Rubin included the words not only of Irena Sendler, but also of some of the babies or children who survived. I think that's what gives this a sense of reality that some of accounts of Irena Sendler lack.
Those were such dark days and the oil-painted illustrations by Bill Farnsworth reflect them perfectly. Farnsworth's illustrations force the reader to look more closely at what is going on and when you do, you realize how well he has captured the danger and tension of those terrible days.
Be sure to read the Afterword for more information about Irena Sendler's life after WWII, when the Communist Government of Poland suppressed any knowledge of what she had done. There is also lots of good back matter for anyone who wants to explore her amazingly courageous work further.
This book is recommended for readers age 8+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL
This review was originally posted on The Children's War
After the merciless bombing of Warsaw by the German Luftwaffe in 1939, Irena, then a deeply religious young Catholic social worker, did her best to help the wounded and needy. Because of bombings all over Poland, Warsaw began to see an increase in refugees arriving and needing help. Unfortunately, the Germans also arrived, occupying what remained of Warsaw. Concerned, Irena joined the Polish resistance movement. With a crew made up of her girlfriends, Irena helped care for the Jews in Warsaw, targets of the Nazi occupiers, providing food and false documents so they could get help.
In 1940, as the Germans rounded up more and more Jews, forcing them to live in increasingly cramped quarters behind the brick and barbed wire wall they were forced to build and that formed the Warsaw Ghetto, conditions quickly deteriorated. Capitalizing on the Nazi's fear of epidemics, Irena and her friends dressed as a nurses and entered the ghetto. Inside, people, including children, were begging for food, sleeping in doorways and dying in the streets.
In 1942, the Nazis began to round up Jews for deportation to Treblinka, a death camp. Irena realized it was time to do something about saving the Jewish children in the ghetto. But how?
Using the code name "Sister Jolanta," Irena joined an underground organization, code named Zegota, As part of this group, Irena, along with trusted friends, commanded the Department of Help for Jewish Children. But the group knew that good intentions wouldn't rescue children, that each rescue had to be minutely planned and carried out down to the smallest detail. And one by one, Irena and her helpers managed to convince the parents of almost 400 Jewish babies and children to allow her to smuggle them out of the ghetto and to places of safety - with no guarantees.
Irena kept meticulous records of who the children were and where they were sent. Amazingly, after she was captured and tortured by the Nazis, Irena never gave anything away. And just before her execution, the resistance, with some costly inside help, managed to rescue her. Sadly, her days of working for the resistance were over, as she also had to go into hiding, in a safe house she at used for Jewish children in the Warsaw Zoo. The list of the children's real identities were buried in a glass jar under a tree in a friend's and survived the war and was turned over to the Jewish Committee.
Each time I read a nonfiction work by Susan Goldman Rubin, I am amazed at how much information she is able to include without overwhelming the reader with too many facts and dates, but giving them just what they need to understand the events she is writing about. And Irena Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto, a picture book for older readers, is not exception.
Written in a very readable documentary style, readers will feel the tension and danger these brave people in the Polish resistance faced every day, the indecision of parents asked to trust Irena with the lives of their children, and the confusion of some of the older kids. What seems like the unimaginable, becomes real in this well-done, well-researched book, perhaps because Rubin included the words not only of Irena Sendler, but also of some of the babies or children who survived. I think that's what gives this a sense of reality that some of accounts of Irena Sendler lack.
Those were such dark days and the oil-painted illustrations by Bill Farnsworth reflect them perfectly. Farnsworth's illustrations force the reader to look more closely at what is going on and when you do, you realize how well he has captured the danger and tension of those terrible days.
Be sure to read the Afterword for more information about Irena Sendler's life after WWII, when the Communist Government of Poland suppressed any knowledge of what she had done. There is also lots of good back matter for anyone who wants to explore her amazingly courageous work further.
This book is recommended for readers age 8+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL
This review was originally posted on The Children's War
January 25, 2025
Very good. I really appreciated how much the author quoted actual people and then cited their quotations in the back of the book.
July 22, 2011
What I "really liked" was the story rather than the book. I had never heard of Irena Sendler, and this was an impressive and empowering story of a righteous gentile who saved hundreds of children from certain death, even though she thinks this was not heroic but rather just "normal." Wow. She and her true story are amazing, and I feel blessed to have heard it, but I wouldn't say that the book itself was terrific. I don't even know to whom I'd recommend it other than have it in my classroom as a resource during the Anne Frank unit when some students are actually researching righteous gentiles. Not really a children's book; I find that the picture book method to tell this story is a little off. But I do recommend learning about Irena Sendler by any means; this would just be the simplest.
November 14, 2019
I Was Taught By My Father That When Someone Is Drowning, You Don't Ask If They Can Swim, You Just Jump In And Help.
I Always Sat With The Jews Showing Them My Solidarity.
It's Always On My Mind That I Couldn't Do More. This Regret Will Follow Me To My Death.
My Heart Told Me To.
TRAVELED TO // Warsaw Ghetto, Poland
MET ALONG THE WAY // Irena Sendler, The Children Of The Warsaw Ghetto & Zegota
March 24, 2018
This is the amazing and true story of a righteous gentile woman who saved hundreds of Jews in Warsaw Poland during WWII. She was a Roman Catholic Social Worker living in Warsaw. She saw that Jews were treated so terribly and knew that she should and could help. So she pretended to be a nurse and went into the Warsaw Ghetto. She secreted out as many as 400 children and led a resistance movement that assisted thousands of Jews in escaping the German occupied country.
The most astounding and breathtaking detail of this story is that she kept a handwritten record of every Jewish child she helped to safety: their Jewish name and their new name with info so that she could reunite families after the war. Wow!
This is a great read aloud and highly recommended for 5th grade and up. It is a story of suspense and determination to do the right thing even when your own life is in danger. It is a hope filled story with a happy ending.
The most astounding and breathtaking detail of this story is that she kept a handwritten record of every Jewish child she helped to safety: their Jewish name and their new name with info so that she could reunite families after the war. Wow!
This is a great read aloud and highly recommended for 5th grade and up. It is a story of suspense and determination to do the right thing even when your own life is in danger. It is a hope filled story with a happy ending.
January 2, 2026
I didn’t realize this was a children’s book when I ordered it. In hindsight, given the illustrations, I probably should have. I was just hoping for a less dry read than
Irena Sendler: Mother of the Children of the Holcaust. And it was, it was quite well done. I expect aimed at middle graders given the content. The illustrations were very well done, haunting. I was hoping for a bit more than 40 pages, it was a little more concise than I was looking for, but I’m not sorry I bought it.
Irena Sendler: Mother of the Children of the Holcaust. And it was, it was quite well done. I expect aimed at middle graders given the content. The illustrations were very well done, haunting. I was hoping for a bit more than 40 pages, it was a little more concise than I was looking for, but I’m not sorry I bought it.October 16, 2017
This story takes place in the time frame of World War Two. It follows a woman named Irena Sendler, a social worker. When the news broke that World War Two has started she knew she had to jump into action and help save those that she could. Irena and her friend dressed at nurses in white gowns and hats. They were saving children from the Warsaw Ghetto by seeking them out through an ambulance. This story has a very powerful message. It informs children readers about the events that took place during World War Two. Even though I did like the message of the story and the illustrations of the story I would not have this in my classroom library. I did not enjoy reading this book.
April 19, 2019
Biography
4th-5th
I found Irena’s story very good and her courageous acts to rescue the Jewish children out of the Warsaw ghetto. I loved how the author wrote using her own words to describe what she did and how she did it. Through her bravery, she was able to rescue over 400 Jewish children and through the organization she worked with, over 2,000. She had saved many lives and risked her own life. One of her quotes I really liked at the beginning of the book was, “I was taught by my father that when someone is drowning, you don’t ask if they can swim, you jus jump in and help.”
4th-5th
I found Irena’s story very good and her courageous acts to rescue the Jewish children out of the Warsaw ghetto. I loved how the author wrote using her own words to describe what she did and how she did it. Through her bravery, she was able to rescue over 400 Jewish children and through the organization she worked with, over 2,000. She had saved many lives and risked her own life. One of her quotes I really liked at the beginning of the book was, “I was taught by my father that when someone is drowning, you don’t ask if they can swim, you jus jump in and help.”
May 18, 2020
I read this book and Marcia Vaughan's Irena's Jar of Secrets to see which one would work best for my own children. Both are completely worthy books, but I would say that this one is more suited for students a bit older than those who might need the simpler text in Vaughan's book. Rubin's book (this one) is more detailed and has longer text, though both cover nearly the same relevant information. It does include an afterword with a photograph of Irena in old age. The illustrations in both are excellent, but I think I preferred the pictures in this one. Bill Farnsworth is the artist.
January 1, 2024
If you've never heard of the story of Irena Sendler then here's an introduction for you.
Told in a picture book format this intensely important story from the second world war is told with sensitivity and beauty. Here is someone who is not to be forgotten, as so many heroes are the more time passes between their deeds and present day.
When I shared this book with my daughter it led to quite a bit of discussion about the holocaust so be prepared to answer questions.
Told in a picture book format this intensely important story from the second world war is told with sensitivity and beauty. Here is someone who is not to be forgotten, as so many heroes are the more time passes between their deeds and present day.
When I shared this book with my daughter it led to quite a bit of discussion about the holocaust so be prepared to answer questions.
May 8, 2017
This is an important and largely unknown story of a woman who, along with many other brave Poles, saved 2500 Jewish children during the Holocaust. I did find myself wishing that the story had been written by someone actually involved, it read as somewhat more of a scholarly text than a biography. Still, the actions of this woman are well worth knowing about.
June 12, 2017
This book was great. I actually read irenas children which wasn't in Goodreads, but it is about the same woman. She saved 2,500 children in the Warsaw ghetto. It was an amazing story with real pictures inside the book. If I ever teach a class of middle school students I will without a doubt incorporate this book into a lesson. I loved everything about this novel and will probably read it again.
November 2, 2018
I was so inspired by reading this book!! The courage and bravery that Irena had is amazing! I’m not very big into biographies but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I can see this being a good book to read out loud to and class and having great discussions afterward. I would definitely add this to my future classroom library.
Genre: Biography
Reading level:5-6
Genre: Biography
Reading level:5-6
December 4, 2018
Genre: Historical FIction
Grade Level: 5-6
"Irena Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto," by Susan Goldman Rubin is a great historical fiction book. I would highly recommend having this book in a classroom library. It would be a great book to quickly read through to get a beginning concept of what was happening during WWII.
Grade Level: 5-6
"Irena Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto," by Susan Goldman Rubin is a great historical fiction book. I would highly recommend having this book in a classroom library. It would be a great book to quickly read through to get a beginning concept of what was happening during WWII.
January 22, 2019
A rather odd mix of narrative and interview snippets. This isn't really a cohesive presentation of Irena Sendler's story; the facts, names, and dates are just kind of presented page by page. Irena Sendler's story is fascinating, but sadly, I have yet to find an author with the skill to convey it the way it deserves to be told.
November 13, 2021
I thought this book had very beautiful illustrations. This book told an important and inspiring story of how brave Irena Sendler was and how strong and resilient all the children she saved were during this horrific time in history. This is a powerful and touching story that I would highly recommend.
July 11, 2022
4.5- Another amazing woman who did what was right because it was the right thing to do, not because she searched for fame and fortune. The text is fairly lengthy, but it's written well; I was hooked. This is packed with research including quotes from the children Irena saved and quotes from Irena herself. I wish there had been a photo of her included.
September 16, 2018
This is a story that will resonate well with children & adults alike. I was aware of Irene’s story thru other books but this author deals with the content in a respectful & delicate manner. Will recommend to other educators.
October 26, 2022
Very inspiring children book with amazing illustrations! Irena Sendler's story of smuggling Jewish children out of the Warsaw ghetto during WWII is very significant. I highly recommend reading this biography.
December 3, 2024
Genre: biography
Grade level: 1-4
This book was quite good. I felt that I knew more than I did before I started reading, and the story of how this young lady helped so many people despite the dangers was inspiring.
Grade level: 1-4
This book was quite good. I felt that I knew more than I did before I started reading, and the story of how this young lady helped so many people despite the dangers was inspiring.
November 13, 2018
Great picture book telling Irena Sendler's story rescuing children from the Warsaw Ghetto. Definitely for older children.
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