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It Rained Warm Bread: Moishe Moskowitz's Story of Hope
A powerful middle grade novel-in-verse about one boy’s experience surviving the Holocaust.
Moishe Moskowitz was thirteen when the Nazis invaded Poland and his family learned the language of fear. The wolves loomed at every corner, yet Moishe still held on to the blessings of his mother’s blueberry pierogis, of celebrating the Sabbath as a family, of a loyal friend. But each day the darkness weighed more heavily on Moishe as his family was broken, uprooted, and scattered across labor and concentration camps. Just as his last hopes began to dim, a simple act of kindness redeemed his faith that goodness could survive the trials of war: That was the day it rained warm bread.
Gloria Moskowitz-Sweet relates her father’s triumphant Holocaust story through the words of award-winning poet Hope Anita Smith. Deftly articulated and beautifully illustrated by Lea Lyon, this is an essential addition to the ever-important collection of Holocaust testimonies.
Christy Ottaviano Books
148 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 13, 2019
14 people are currently reading
445 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
August 6, 2019
I'm sitting at the front of my bookstore in San Mateo California crying. Crying because, spoiler alert, Moishe Moskowitz survived. Crying because of the nightmare he lived through, crying because of his courage, kindness and resilience, crying because he lost everyone and everything he loved, crying because I wonder whether humanity has gotten any better in all these years, crying because of the women who made it rain bread on prisoners locked in a death train because humanity WAS better and still IS better, crying because just this week in 2019 dozens of people were slaughtered because of hate no different from the hate fomented by Hitler across Europe, and crying because I have to keep remembering those women who made it rain bread, those people this week who threw their bodies in front of others so that they might live, thinking of that infant whose mother and father were killed saving their baby, crying because Moishe's parents died trying to save him. Crying because finally, when he thought all was truly lost and he was about to die, the voice that he thought would be the last he would hear turned out to be an American soldier speaking Yiddish, telling him that he was safe.
This is the true story of Moishe Moskowitz and his family, caught up in the holocaust in Poland. Hidden briefly by a family friend who owned a farm, the family thought they had escaped the worst and returned to their home, only to be swept up by the Nazis. His is a harrowing and horrible story yet from the first page on I could not stop reading. Told in prose and perfectly illustrated, his story, though painful, is also inspirational. As one by one his family is torn from him, Moishe lives through being placed in a ghetto, trading himself onto a work crew to save his father who is ill, losing both of his parents and his sister, left only with his brother, only to lose him too. Work camps, death marches, trains, concentration camps, and more trains, escape, capture, playing dead, his story captures almost every story of one of the most terrible chapters in our history, when a continent was taken over by hate, fomented by humiliation, fear, and anger, all focused on scapegoats, people described as infestations, sub-human, the cause of all trouble, and needing to be removed.
Moishe's daughter, Gloria Moskowitz-Sweet is the author, with award-winning poet Hope Anita Smith weaving the poetry, and my dear friend Lea Lyon doing the powerful illustrations. Together they have created a masterpiece, one that young and old alike should read to step into the shoes of someone who lived through that which most could not imagine surviving.
We must ALL understand how easy it is for people to be swept up in a fever of fear, hatred, and murder, and how important it is for all of us to resist, speak out, stand up. The seeds that were planted that resulted in six million of my Jewish siblings being killed are still being sown today and the harvest being reaped can be seen in our own headlines.
Read this book and then read a newspaper. When you're done crying, do something.
This is the true story of Moishe Moskowitz and his family, caught up in the holocaust in Poland. Hidden briefly by a family friend who owned a farm, the family thought they had escaped the worst and returned to their home, only to be swept up by the Nazis. His is a harrowing and horrible story yet from the first page on I could not stop reading. Told in prose and perfectly illustrated, his story, though painful, is also inspirational. As one by one his family is torn from him, Moishe lives through being placed in a ghetto, trading himself onto a work crew to save his father who is ill, losing both of his parents and his sister, left only with his brother, only to lose him too. Work camps, death marches, trains, concentration camps, and more trains, escape, capture, playing dead, his story captures almost every story of one of the most terrible chapters in our history, when a continent was taken over by hate, fomented by humiliation, fear, and anger, all focused on scapegoats, people described as infestations, sub-human, the cause of all trouble, and needing to be removed.
Moishe's daughter, Gloria Moskowitz-Sweet is the author, with award-winning poet Hope Anita Smith weaving the poetry, and my dear friend Lea Lyon doing the powerful illustrations. Together they have created a masterpiece, one that young and old alike should read to step into the shoes of someone who lived through that which most could not imagine surviving.
We must ALL understand how easy it is for people to be swept up in a fever of fear, hatred, and murder, and how important it is for all of us to resist, speak out, stand up. The seeds that were planted that resulted in six million of my Jewish siblings being killed are still being sown today and the harvest being reaped can be seen in our own headlines.
Read this book and then read a newspaper. When you're done crying, do something.
September 6, 2019
I'm sitting at the front of my bookstore in San Mateo California crying. Crying because, spoiler alert, Moishe Moskowitz survived. Crying because of the nightmare he lived through, crying because of his courage, kindness and resilience, crying because he lost everyone and everything he loved, crying because I wonder whether humanity has gotten any better in all these years, crying because of the women who made it rain bread on prisoners locked in a death train because humanity WAS better and still IS better, crying because just this week in 2019 dozens of people were slaughtered because of hate no different from the hate fomented by Hitler across Europe, and crying because I have to keep remembering those women who made it rain bread, those people this week who threw their bodies in front of others so that they might live, thinking of that infant whose mother and father were killed saving their baby, crying because Moishe's parents died trying to save him. Crying because finally, when he thought all was truly lost and he was about to die, the voice that he thought would be the last he would hear turned out to be an American soldier speaking Yiddish, telling him that he was safe.
This is the true story of Moishe Moskowitz and his family, caught up in the holocaust in Poland. Hidden briefly by a family friend who owned a farm, the family thought they had escaped the worst and returned to their home, only to be swept up by the Nazis. His is a harrowing and horrible story yet from the first page on I could not stop reading. Told in prose and perfectly illustrated, his story, though painful, is also inspirational. As one by one his family is torn from him, Moishe lives through being placed in a ghetto, trading himself onto a work crew to save his father who is ill, losing both of his parents and his sister, left only with his brother, only to lose him too. Work camps, death marches, trains, concentration camps, and more trains, escape, capture, playing dead, his story captures almost every story of one of the most terrible chapters in our history, when a continent was taken over by hate, fomented by humiliation, fear, and anger, all focused on scapegoats, people described as infestations, sub-human, the cause of all trouble, and needing to be removed.
Moishe's daughter, Gloria Moskowitz-Sweet is the author, with award-winning poet Hope Anita Smith weaving the poetry, and my dear friend Lea Lyon doing the powerful illustrations. Together they have created a masterpiece, one that young and old alike should read to step into the shoes of someone who lived through that which most could not imagine surviving.
We must ALL understand how easy it is for people to be swept up in a fever of fear, hatred, and murder, and how important it is for all of us to resist, speak out, stand up. The seeds that were planted that resulted in six million of my Jewish siblings being killed are still being sown today and the harvest being reaped can be seen in our own headlines.
Read this book and then read a newspaper. When you're done crying, do something.
This is the true story of Moishe Moskowitz and his family, caught up in the holocaust in Poland. Hidden briefly by a family friend who owned a farm, the family thought they had escaped the worst and returned to their home, only to be swept up by the Nazis. His is a harrowing and horrible story yet from the first page on I could not stop reading. Told in prose and perfectly illustrated, his story, though painful, is also inspirational. As one by one his family is torn from him, Moishe lives through being placed in a ghetto, trading himself onto a work crew to save his father who is ill, losing both of his parents and his sister, left only with his brother, only to lose him too. Work camps, death marches, trains, concentration camps, and more trains, escape, capture, playing dead, his story captures almost every story of one of the most terrible chapters in our history, when a continent was taken over by hate, fomented by humiliation, fear, and anger, all focused on scapegoats, people described as infestations, sub-human, the cause of all trouble, and needing to be removed.
Moishe's daughter, Gloria Moskowitz-Sweet is the author, with award-winning poet Hope Anita Smith weaving the poetry, and my dear friend Lea Lyon doing the powerful illustrations. Together they have created a masterpiece, one that young and old alike should read to step into the shoes of someone who lived through that which most could not imagine surviving.
We must ALL understand how easy it is for people to be swept up in a fever of fear, hatred, and murder, and how important it is for all of us to resist, speak out, stand up. The seeds that were planted that resulted in six million of my Jewish siblings being killed are still being sown today and the harvest being reaped can be seen in our own headlines.
Read this book and then read a newspaper. When you're done crying, do something.
November 28, 2023
The book I’m reading is called “It rained warm bread” written by Gloria Moskowitz-Sweet is the daughter of holocaust survivor Moishe Moskowitz. This book is a short and detailed poetry and the story is about Michael (Moishe). He was born and raised in 1926, Kielce, Poland, with his older brother and little sister. This poetry is told by the voice of a young 13 year old boy. It is telling us we are living in a time that is at risk of forgetting the greatest lessons that history has to offer us. It is beautifully written, thought provoking and touches your heart. It reminds us of how a boy, his family, and a whole generation before us has experienced the best and worst of humanity. The reader is instantly drawn into a world as the child Moishe saw and understood it. I felt as though the writer and illustrator were great about understanding how to facilitate a dialogue about this important historic time with young adults and adults. As a result, did his family survive? You can decide.
August 25, 2019
This tiny book packs a real punch. I should have expected that, given the subject matter, but somehow I let the short length and novel in verse format affect my expectations. I was wrong. While this small biographical story in verse is technically written for juvenile audiences, the emotions and content can certainly resonate with readers of all ages. I felt myself choking up more than once reading the book. Perhaps it's so poignant in part specifically because of the juvenile tone. To hear verses written in the voice of a thirteen year old, talking about how his family was taken from him bit by bit, about the countless atrocities he witnessed and the privations he suffered was breath-taking at times.
I did have the occasional issue with the writing itself. Gloria Moskowitz-Sweet wrote the story from assembled stories her father Moishe recounted in his later years, and then Hope Anita Smith wrote it in novel-in-verse format. Sometimes the tone of the writing felt jarringly inappropriate for the time it was set in (for example, a reference to pulling off a band-aid. Did they have band-aids at that time and place? I don't know, and that pulled me out of the story while I pondered that.) and distracted me from the story itself. It was generally well-done. There were just enough of those moments to be distracting.
But overall this was a small, powerful, accessible story that reflects the reality of Jewish experience in Poland during WWII. I think this would be an excellent book to read with a child in your life. None of the story is told in too explicit of detail. Adults will know enough to fill in the blanks, and the information that is there, and the way that it is written, will be enough context for children to start to understand the enormity of the danger and evil that young Moishe and so many other Jewish Europeans faced during this dark period in history.
If you haven't got a child to share it with, read it yourself. It's a small book; I read it in one sitting in one evening, far too close to bedtime for peaceful dreams, and I'm still pondering it a day later. It's a good addition to the sub-genre of Holocaust memoirs, at a time when we would do well to remember the lessons we've learned from the period. #NeverAgain
I did have the occasional issue with the writing itself. Gloria Moskowitz-Sweet wrote the story from assembled stories her father Moishe recounted in his later years, and then Hope Anita Smith wrote it in novel-in-verse format. Sometimes the tone of the writing felt jarringly inappropriate for the time it was set in (for example, a reference to pulling off a band-aid. Did they have band-aids at that time and place? I don't know, and that pulled me out of the story while I pondered that.) and distracted me from the story itself. It was generally well-done. There were just enough of those moments to be distracting.
But overall this was a small, powerful, accessible story that reflects the reality of Jewish experience in Poland during WWII. I think this would be an excellent book to read with a child in your life. None of the story is told in too explicit of detail. Adults will know enough to fill in the blanks, and the information that is there, and the way that it is written, will be enough context for children to start to understand the enormity of the danger and evil that young Moishe and so many other Jewish Europeans faced during this dark period in history.
If you haven't got a child to share it with, read it yourself. It's a small book; I read it in one sitting in one evening, far too close to bedtime for peaceful dreams, and I'm still pondering it a day later. It's a good addition to the sub-genre of Holocaust memoirs, at a time when we would do well to remember the lessons we've learned from the period. #NeverAgain
October 11, 2019
Gloria Moskowitz-Sweet's story of her father's Holocaust story is eloquently told in the format of novel-in-verse through the poignant poetry by Hope Anita Smith. Truly powerful.
One of the poems:
LAYER BY LAYER
the Nazis peel us like onions,
layer by layer.
Mothers
Fathers
Brothers
Sisters
Family
Friends.
Each time someone is ripped away
a sulfuric gas is released until
the aroma of our sadness stings.
We squeeze our eyes shut tightly,
hoping to burn their memory onto our corneas,
but it is too painful.
All we can do is cry.
(Chritsy Ottaviano Books)
One of the poems:
LAYER BY LAYER
the Nazis peel us like onions,
layer by layer.
Mothers
Fathers
Brothers
Sisters
Family
Friends.
Each time someone is ripped away
a sulfuric gas is released until
the aroma of our sadness stings.
We squeeze our eyes shut tightly,
hoping to burn their memory onto our corneas,
but it is too painful.
All we can do is cry.
(Chritsy Ottaviano Books)
April 25, 2025
I thought this book was cool.
November 27, 2019
**Contains Spoilers**
This fictionalize free verse biography chronicles the life of Moishe Moskowitz's life just before and then during the Holocaust. In 1936, Moishe, his mother, father, older brother Saul, and younger sister Bella live in Kielce, Poland. Their home life is warm, loving and religious, though there is some they watch the Nazi threat grow stronger and come closer. On the street, Moishe often has to be on the lookout for Polish boys who "want to pound me like schnitzel" simply because he is Jewish. Moishe's mother often encourages his father to leave for America where they have relatives, and save enough money to send for the family. However, his father keeps refusing to leave, finally agreeing only to discover the opportunity has passed.
Moise is 13-years-old when Nazi Germany invades Poland, and the lives of the Jewish families living there are forever changed. At first, the Moskowitz's hide out in the barn of a Christian friend, but when nothing happens, they decide to return home, only to be rounded up in 1941 to temporarily live in the Kielce ghetto. Somehow, Mosihe's father escapes and joins the resistance. From there, in August 1942, the ghetto is liquidated and Moise's mother and sister are pulled away from the family - never to be seen again.
Moishe and Saul are moved from one concentration camp to another. When his brother comes up with an escape plan, only Moishe survives and, now alone, is sent to Auschwitz, to do hard labor. By 1945, when it is clear the Nazis are losing the war and the Allies are closing in, Moishe finds himself on several death marches. During the first march, he pretends to fall down and manages to convince the guards that he is actually dead. When an unkind farmer finds him, Moishe is put into another group of Jewish prisoners, where he is put into a cattle car. It is here that he finally finds the hope he needs to carry him through, when a group of Czechoslovakian women defy the Nazi guards and toss warm, freshly baked bread into the cars for the people in the cattle cars.
Taken off the train, Moishe begins his second death march, trying the same tactic he used before of falling down as though dead. Left behind, he hides in a haystack. It's here an American soldier who speaks Yiddish finds Moishe.
Yes, Moishe survives the Holocaust and eventually makes his way to Los Angeles, California where he marries and raises a family. And like most Holocaust survivors, he was reluctant to talk about his experiences under the Nazis. But finally he did, and now his daughter Gloria as shared his stories to poet Hope Anita Smith and together they wrote Moishe's story.
It Rained Warm Bread is told in the first person through a number of short spare, sometimes understated, poems, and divided into seven chapters, each focusing on specific events and time in Moishe's life, Smith has created a record that is as heartbreaking as it is hopeful. Interestingly, the Nazis are metaphorically referred to as predatory wolves throughout, and never really portrayed as human.
The text and the small watercolor wash spot illustrations are all done in shades of brown, and add much to this testimony of a man who bore witness to what was done to Europe's Jews during Hitler's reign.
It Rained Warm Bread is not the book to read if you are looking for a factual account of what happened to Moishe and his family. If that's what you want, or if, after reading Moishe's story you want to find out more, you can find an account of Kielce and the Kielce Ghetto HERE.
Instead, be sure to read the Author's Note by Moishe's daughter Gloria for more information about this courageous man who lost everything but found the hope he needed to carry him through those dark days.
This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was purchased for my personal library
This fictionalize free verse biography chronicles the life of Moishe Moskowitz's life just before and then during the Holocaust. In 1936, Moishe, his mother, father, older brother Saul, and younger sister Bella live in Kielce, Poland. Their home life is warm, loving and religious, though there is some they watch the Nazi threat grow stronger and come closer. On the street, Moishe often has to be on the lookout for Polish boys who "want to pound me like schnitzel" simply because he is Jewish. Moishe's mother often encourages his father to leave for America where they have relatives, and save enough money to send for the family. However, his father keeps refusing to leave, finally agreeing only to discover the opportunity has passed.
Moise is 13-years-old when Nazi Germany invades Poland, and the lives of the Jewish families living there are forever changed. At first, the Moskowitz's hide out in the barn of a Christian friend, but when nothing happens, they decide to return home, only to be rounded up in 1941 to temporarily live in the Kielce ghetto. Somehow, Mosihe's father escapes and joins the resistance. From there, in August 1942, the ghetto is liquidated and Moise's mother and sister are pulled away from the family - never to be seen again.
Moishe and Saul are moved from one concentration camp to another. When his brother comes up with an escape plan, only Moishe survives and, now alone, is sent to Auschwitz, to do hard labor. By 1945, when it is clear the Nazis are losing the war and the Allies are closing in, Moishe finds himself on several death marches. During the first march, he pretends to fall down and manages to convince the guards that he is actually dead. When an unkind farmer finds him, Moishe is put into another group of Jewish prisoners, where he is put into a cattle car. It is here that he finally finds the hope he needs to carry him through, when a group of Czechoslovakian women defy the Nazi guards and toss warm, freshly baked bread into the cars for the people in the cattle cars.
Taken off the train, Moishe begins his second death march, trying the same tactic he used before of falling down as though dead. Left behind, he hides in a haystack. It's here an American soldier who speaks Yiddish finds Moishe.
Yes, Moishe survives the Holocaust and eventually makes his way to Los Angeles, California where he marries and raises a family. And like most Holocaust survivors, he was reluctant to talk about his experiences under the Nazis. But finally he did, and now his daughter Gloria as shared his stories to poet Hope Anita Smith and together they wrote Moishe's story.
It Rained Warm Bread is told in the first person through a number of short spare, sometimes understated, poems, and divided into seven chapters, each focusing on specific events and time in Moishe's life, Smith has created a record that is as heartbreaking as it is hopeful. Interestingly, the Nazis are metaphorically referred to as predatory wolves throughout, and never really portrayed as human.
The text and the small watercolor wash spot illustrations are all done in shades of brown, and add much to this testimony of a man who bore witness to what was done to Europe's Jews during Hitler's reign.
It Rained Warm Bread is not the book to read if you are looking for a factual account of what happened to Moishe and his family. If that's what you want, or if, after reading Moishe's story you want to find out more, you can find an account of Kielce and the Kielce Ghetto HERE.
Instead, be sure to read the Author's Note by Moishe's daughter Gloria for more information about this courageous man who lost everything but found the hope he needed to carry him through those dark days.
This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was purchased for my personal library
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2019
This book can easily be read in one sitting since the story is written in verse. While I have seen and own a couple of books written in verse, this is the first one that I finished reading, and I am not disappointed! This is a true story about a young boy during the Holocaust and his will to live. There are recurring themes of hope, abuse, life, and death.
I had thought that the poetical form may be distracting or frustrating because I would be missing details because only so much can be shared in a poem. There is limited space after all, but the emotions and events seemed deeper because they were adorned with a web of words that while scarce, accented those emotions and events in the best places. You do not have to be afraid that this author should have moved on from this description three pages ago because she describes it beautifully in a few lines then goes on to the next event of this unfortunate boy who fortunately survived to tell his story.
Another accent to the story in verse is the illustrations. The illustrator expertly depicted the emotions in her drawings.
I suggest that anyone should read this, but especially read it if you like accounts from the holocaust but don’t like to spend days reading through the depressing event.
I had thought that the poetical form may be distracting or frustrating because I would be missing details because only so much can be shared in a poem. There is limited space after all, but the emotions and events seemed deeper because they were adorned with a web of words that while scarce, accented those emotions and events in the best places. You do not have to be afraid that this author should have moved on from this description three pages ago because she describes it beautifully in a few lines then goes on to the next event of this unfortunate boy who fortunately survived to tell his story.
Another accent to the story in verse is the illustrations. The illustrator expertly depicted the emotions in her drawings.
I suggest that anyone should read this, but especially read it if you like accounts from the holocaust but don’t like to spend days reading through the depressing event.
Read
December 27, 2019A very well done telling of a boy's journey beginning with the hostile environment for Jews in Poland, then the coming of the Nazis, the hiding and then ghettos, his separation from his family bit by bit, the work camps, and finally coming out the other side at the end of the war against all odds. Its doesn't describe the horror graphically but rather through the boy's reactions which gives it more emotional power. I was skeptical of using free verse for the text but it works very well at providing a first-person narrative with just the right tone. I was impressed. It would be a good introduction to the subject.
December 10, 2019
An approachable story in prose that communicated some grace to me. I recommend this book for people that interested in peeking behind the veil of Jewish oppression in World War I. I don't know much about this topic. But I felt as though the writer and illustrator were great about understanding how to facilitate a dialogue about this important historic time with young adults and some un-informed adults.
April 3, 2025
As a child of Holocaust survivors, I’ve heard first hand the horrors my family endured. This book truly captures through poetry and beautiful illustrations the brutality and inhumane treatment of the Jews of Europe at the time and also the power of family love and hope. It brought tears to my eyes and reminded me of my dear parents’ and grandparents’ experiences. This little book packs a powerful punch and will stay with me forever.
April 17, 2023
This is a novel written in verse. Beautifully done and I highly recommend this one for teens and adults to read. Reading this true story of a Holocaust survivor in verse is hard and beautiful and this one will stay with the reader for a long time.
November 4, 2020
Beautifully written for a very somber subject.
January 31, 2020
I wrote a review of this powerful and effective book in honor of the 2020 United-Nations-designated Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 75th Anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp: https://karinfisher-golton.com/2020/0....
August 24, 2019
This amazing book, sparse in language and deceptively simple, delivers a powerful punch. It doesn't turn its back on Evil, nor treat violence gratuitously. It's a reminder to stay vigilant, do right, stand strong, and speak out. Heroes come in the form of soldiers, but also as women who serve hope in the form of bread. It Rained Warm Bread will change young adult lives the way The Diary of Anne Frank has; and, like the Diary, is essential reading for people of all ages.
March 8, 2020
It Rained Warm Bread: Moishe Moskowitz’s Story of Hope by Gloria Moskowitz-Sweet and Hope Anita Smith, illustrated by Lea Lyon, 148 pages. NON-FICTION Christy Ottaviano Books (Henry Holt and Company), 2019. $17.
Content: Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: PG-13.
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
When Moishe was thirteen years old, Poland was invaded by the Nazis. His family stayed together as long as they could, but eventually they were all pulled in different directions and different concentration camps. As Moishe endures violence, starvation and basic human depravity, his faith in humanity is shaken. But one day while being transported by train, brave women throw bread into his boxcar on the train regardless of the Nazi’s warnings not to and it renews Moishe's hope and gives him strength to keep going.
This is the true story of Moishe Moskowitz told through verse. The emotions and hopelessness are beautifully conveyed through the short, yet impactful fictionalization of Moishe’s Holocaust experience. I loved the ending which shows Moishe’s family and his enduring spirit. The violence is war violence, including people being shot down on the street around him as well as mass graves.
Reviewer, C. Peterson.
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2020...
Content: Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: PG-13.
BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
When Moishe was thirteen years old, Poland was invaded by the Nazis. His family stayed together as long as they could, but eventually they were all pulled in different directions and different concentration camps. As Moishe endures violence, starvation and basic human depravity, his faith in humanity is shaken. But one day while being transported by train, brave women throw bread into his boxcar on the train regardless of the Nazi’s warnings not to and it renews Moishe's hope and gives him strength to keep going.
This is the true story of Moishe Moskowitz told through verse. The emotions and hopelessness are beautifully conveyed through the short, yet impactful fictionalization of Moishe’s Holocaust experience. I loved the ending which shows Moishe’s family and his enduring spirit. The violence is war violence, including people being shot down on the street around him as well as mass graves.
Reviewer, C. Peterson.
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2020...
December 2, 2019
There are countless stories of surviving the Holocaust, and together they create an echo. Sometimes it feels repetitive, but the truth is, an unseemly number of people experienced one of the darkest moments in all human history. Those who lived through it deserve to bear witness to the tragedy. To tell their own story. So that others will learn to heed the signs of persecution and recognize the value of true hope in times of desperation.
Moishe Moskowitz's story in It Rained Warm Bread is reminiscent of the experiences of other young survivors that I have read about, heard speak, or viewed on documentaries, yet it's unique in presentation (free-verse poetry) and memory. Yes, this has been fictionalized to a certain degree, but many details ached in their accuracy. They are what breaks your heart anew.
Moishe Moskowitz's story in It Rained Warm Bread is reminiscent of the experiences of other young survivors that I have read about, heard speak, or viewed on documentaries, yet it's unique in presentation (free-verse poetry) and memory. Yes, this has been fictionalized to a certain degree, but many details ached in their accuracy. They are what breaks your heart anew.
July 9, 2022
4.5⭐
An absolute must-read!
This is a harrowing novel-in-verse told from the perspective of a Jewish boy in Poland during World War 2. It's based on the real-life experiences of the author's father, a Holocaust survivor.
I LOVE the imagery and writing. The book paints such a vivid picture of the fear, horrors and brutality that people suffered, so much of which can be derived from in between the lines.
Powerful, poignant and heartbreaking. Don't miss this one!
An absolute must-read!
This is a harrowing novel-in-verse told from the perspective of a Jewish boy in Poland during World War 2. It's based on the real-life experiences of the author's father, a Holocaust survivor.
I LOVE the imagery and writing. The book paints such a vivid picture of the fear, horrors and brutality that people suffered, so much of which can be derived from in between the lines.
Our Polish neighbors watch, too
but only for a moment.
They must make a choice:
Bury their heads in the sand
or pick up a fistful and throw it at us.
---
We are torn asunder
and a new kind of rain
pours from the eyes
Powerful, poignant and heartbreaking. Don't miss this one!
August 22, 2019
This novel in verse offers a poetic revelation of one man's memories of the years he spent in Ghettos and camps throughout the war years in Europe. It's an up close view of the physical and emotional price paid for being Jewish in a Nazi genocide.
The format and scenes may one up a tragic and overwhelming slice of history to somewhat younger audiences, and these days it feels necessary to begin that exposure sooner rather than later.
The format and scenes may one up a tragic and overwhelming slice of history to somewhat younger audiences, and these days it feels necessary to begin that exposure sooner rather than later.
June 15, 2019
An important novel in verse based on the life of a Holocaust survivor from Poland. It cuts straight to the heart in a way only a novel in verse can. I want to know the next chapters in the life of Moishe Moskowitz.
June 13, 2021
"It Rained Warm Bread" tells the story of Moishe Moskowitz, a 13-year-old Jewish boy living in Poland at the time of the Nazi invasion. Told in lyrical prose with much pathos, the chronological story follows Moishe from his simple, peaceful life to Nazi occupation, life in the Kielce Ghetto, the Liquidation, being moved from camp to camp, surviving the death marches, and finally, liberation. Toward the very end of the story, its title becomes clear to the reader, and with Moishe, one experiences a sliver of hope.
The author's use of figurative language is amazing and coveys naked emotion:
"The Nazi soldiers have built a den in our town. They are wolves traveling in packs. They are hungry."
"By candlelight, my mother sews yellow patches on our jackets and coats. We are stars, but we do not shine."
"The Nazis are thieves, and we Jews are being stolen."
Simple brown and white watercolor wash sketches add to the sparse prose. Although relatively short, this is a novel that will remain with the reader for a long time and is best read slowly and reflectively.
Sure to evoke emotion, it is a novel that needs to be discussed and processed with adolescent learners.
It invites creative response.
The author's use of figurative language is amazing and coveys naked emotion:
"The Nazi soldiers have built a den in our town. They are wolves traveling in packs. They are hungry."
"By candlelight, my mother sews yellow patches on our jackets and coats. We are stars, but we do not shine."
"The Nazis are thieves, and we Jews are being stolen."
Simple brown and white watercolor wash sketches add to the sparse prose. Although relatively short, this is a novel that will remain with the reader for a long time and is best read slowly and reflectively.
Sure to evoke emotion, it is a novel that needs to be discussed and processed with adolescent learners.
It invites creative response.
November 12, 2021
I read this book sitting in my corner of my school library, the tears I shed were those of pain and fear. But also recognition.
I saw my Pa in the brave Moishe Moskowitz, I saw my people in his eyes.
There is something so truly harrowing about poetry, I’ve never been one for it I saw it as fickle the mindless dreams of people who could not speak the words their minds screamed.
I know better now, poetry is the way to express all that you cannot, the story hidden in between the lines is just as valuable as the story you read.
—*SPOILER WARNING FROM HERE ON*—
Moishe was a boy, he was a child when all that he knew was torn apart for reasons that he was unfamiliar with. Moishe was my age when the soldier found him.
He carried the hopes and the love of our people, through the pain and the suffering he held onto the love of his family and most importantly he held onto his name. They tried to take everything from him, but when your mind is your greatest ally nothing is truly gone.
I was floored by this story and I recommend it to anyone who has the spare time to read it, half an hour is all you need, to have the world around you warped.
I saw my Pa in the brave Moishe Moskowitz, I saw my people in his eyes.
There is something so truly harrowing about poetry, I’ve never been one for it I saw it as fickle the mindless dreams of people who could not speak the words their minds screamed.
I know better now, poetry is the way to express all that you cannot, the story hidden in between the lines is just as valuable as the story you read.
—*SPOILER WARNING FROM HERE ON*—
Moishe was a boy, he was a child when all that he knew was torn apart for reasons that he was unfamiliar with. Moishe was my age when the soldier found him.
He carried the hopes and the love of our people, through the pain and the suffering he held onto the love of his family and most importantly he held onto his name. They tried to take everything from him, but when your mind is your greatest ally nothing is truly gone.
I was floored by this story and I recommend it to anyone who has the spare time to read it, half an hour is all you need, to have the world around you warped.
December 17, 2020
He endured the forced-labor camps of Skarzysko-Kamienna and Pionki, and the concentration camps of Auschwitz I, Auschwitz III, and Buchenwald, as well as two death marches in the winter of 1945.
Historical reads always hit harder when they are based on true stories. Moishe Moskowitz was just a teenager when the Nazis invaded his Polish town, but he had to grow up fast. Torn from his family, Moishe survives a long list of horrors before he could become the beloved father and grandfather he would later become.
His story is told here in lyrical verse filled with emotion--beautiful words telling a horrible story. The author's note is an absolute must as we meet the grown Moishe who told his story before leaving this Earth.
I think my only complaint is that readers with little to no background knowledge of the Holocaust may have trouble understanding what is happening throughout the story. There really is a lot of figurative language, and a lot of the vignettes require quite a bit of inference and knowledge of WWII history to unravel.
Historical reads always hit harder when they are based on true stories. Moishe Moskowitz was just a teenager when the Nazis invaded his Polish town, but he had to grow up fast. Torn from his family, Moishe survives a long list of horrors before he could become the beloved father and grandfather he would later become.
His story is told here in lyrical verse filled with emotion--beautiful words telling a horrible story. The author's note is an absolute must as we meet the grown Moishe who told his story before leaving this Earth.
I think my only complaint is that readers with little to no background knowledge of the Holocaust may have trouble understanding what is happening throughout the story. There really is a lot of figurative language, and a lot of the vignettes require quite a bit of inference and knowledge of WWII history to unravel.
May 24, 2020
“But when the wolves come to take you away, one good person is all you need.”
The story of a young Jewish boy living in Poland, “a country that bullies its citizens, beats up on us because we are different.“ He describes the beginning of the Holocaust as the “wolves” come into their country and take over. He is separated from his mother, father and sister first, though he and his older brother manage to stay together. But then he loses his brother, as well. He inhabits several camps during his time and survives 2 death marches.
One night when they are being transported on a train, women see their plight and run to get bread that they throw to them. That one act of kindness, a moment of humanity in the middle of so much inhumanity, gave him hope to go on. “I saw love. Not because we were their sons or husbands or fathers but just because we were. We mattered.”
A poignant novel based on the life of the author’s father. Told in verse, the language and imagery is powerfully written. A very quick read with so many moments worthy of discussion. An author’s note in the back gives additional information about her father after the war.
The story of a young Jewish boy living in Poland, “a country that bullies its citizens, beats up on us because we are different.“ He describes the beginning of the Holocaust as the “wolves” come into their country and take over. He is separated from his mother, father and sister first, though he and his older brother manage to stay together. But then he loses his brother, as well. He inhabits several camps during his time and survives 2 death marches.
One night when they are being transported on a train, women see their plight and run to get bread that they throw to them. That one act of kindness, a moment of humanity in the middle of so much inhumanity, gave him hope to go on. “I saw love. Not because we were their sons or husbands or fathers but just because we were. We mattered.”
A poignant novel based on the life of the author’s father. Told in verse, the language and imagery is powerfully written. A very quick read with so many moments worthy of discussion. An author’s note in the back gives additional information about her father after the war.
August 8, 2022
This book is based from 1939 - 1945 in Poland this book documents some of what was happening from the start of the war to when it was ending.
The book starts with the main character Moshie, getting bullied by some of the polish boys at the public school he went to.
Moshie talks about the experiences that he had gone through
tells us what side of the street he walks on to get home, and even describes the nazis as wolves on multiple occasions throughout the book. Moshie's dad notes that if that was the worst thing that was going on then it's not that bad, which was right because it got worse.
Moshie's family had to go into hiding for months. they were split up. they were sent to labour camps, and Moshie had lost all his family. Moshie was sent on two death walks the first he escaped and it rained warm bread, the second time though, he didn't get so lucky.
it rained warm bread is littered with incredible poems that tell a story in ways that are so beautiful and creative.
The book starts with the main character Moshie, getting bullied by some of the polish boys at the public school he went to.
Moshie talks about the experiences that he had gone through
tells us what side of the street he walks on to get home, and even describes the nazis as wolves on multiple occasions throughout the book. Moshie's dad notes that if that was the worst thing that was going on then it's not that bad, which was right because it got worse.
Moshie's family had to go into hiding for months. they were split up. they were sent to labour camps, and Moshie had lost all his family. Moshie was sent on two death walks the first he escaped and it rained warm bread, the second time though, he didn't get so lucky.
it rained warm bread is littered with incredible poems that tell a story in ways that are so beautiful and creative.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ It Rained Warm Bread by Gloria Moskowitz-Sweet and Hope Anita Smith was published in 2019 and is the fictionalized account of Moishe Moskowitz’s survival of the Holocaust told in verse. The book includes the beautiful artwork of Lea Lyon.
The poems by Smith are beautiful. I connected with many of them. This book is a good one for middle school students as it introduces the Holocaust in a way that isn’t overwhelming.
Moishe, Gloria’s father, was 13 when Nazis invaded his hometown and his world fell apart. He tells of the women throwing bread into the cattle cars during his second death March. I remember reading about this in Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night.
Smith makes allusions to Emily Dickenson’s poem “Hope is the Thing with Feathers” in her poem “The First Death March” in such a beautiful way. Throughout the story, the Nazi’s are compared to wolves.
I recommend this quick read for ages 11 and up.
The poems by Smith are beautiful. I connected with many of them. This book is a good one for middle school students as it introduces the Holocaust in a way that isn’t overwhelming.
Moishe, Gloria’s father, was 13 when Nazis invaded his hometown and his world fell apart. He tells of the women throwing bread into the cattle cars during his second death March. I remember reading about this in Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night.
Smith makes allusions to Emily Dickenson’s poem “Hope is the Thing with Feathers” in her poem “The First Death March” in such a beautiful way. Throughout the story, the Nazi’s are compared to wolves.
I recommend this quick read for ages 11 and up.
April 15, 2020
What a beautiful book! Moshie's story was compelling, but by putting it into poetry, it has a completely different feel. It's more poignant and sorrowful than it would be as prose.
According to the author (Moshie's daughter), Moshie had a hard time telling his story for most of his life, but at the end of his life, he wanted to tell his story to everyone, even speaking at middle schools. Moskowitz-Sweet wrote down his story, and Hope Anita Smith did a beautiful job putting the story into poetry.
In the story, Moshie speaks of the wolves coming. Using this name puts a tangible image to the Nazis and Moshie's feeling of being stalked.
I feel like I understand about 80% of Moshie's story, but there are some parts I would have liked explained more fully. In those few instances, the poetry was too sparse to tell me the whole story, and I wanted to know more.
According to the author (Moshie's daughter), Moshie had a hard time telling his story for most of his life, but at the end of his life, he wanted to tell his story to everyone, even speaking at middle schools. Moskowitz-Sweet wrote down his story, and Hope Anita Smith did a beautiful job putting the story into poetry.
In the story, Moshie speaks of the wolves coming. Using this name puts a tangible image to the Nazis and Moshie's feeling of being stalked.
I feel like I understand about 80% of Moshie's story, but there are some parts I would have liked explained more fully. In those few instances, the poetry was too sparse to tell me the whole story, and I wanted to know more.
September 1, 2022
This is a story about Moishe, 13 year old boy who was living his life when Poland was invaded in 1939. His home was ruined, his family were taken away. Moishe was sent to a labor camp in Auschwitz. He moved from one labor camp to the next. Years of brutality, years of trauma as Moishe lived through the holocaust. His hopes of one day being free started to fade. Moishe didn't know where his family was, they were scattered across concentration camps. A simple act of kindness showed that goodness still existed, even in the brutal war. That was the day it rained warm bread.
Gloria Moskowitz, the author of the book. Also Moishes daughter, tells her fathers story of the holocaust.
This is a great book to read as it tells the story of the holocaust in someone elses perspective. When reading the book you feel as if you actually there.
Gloria Moskowitz, the author of the book. Also Moishes daughter, tells her fathers story of the holocaust.
This is a great book to read as it tells the story of the holocaust in someone elses perspective. When reading the book you feel as if you actually there.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 11, 2022
I teach a Holocaust unit, and I purchased this more recently published book to add to the independent reading selections. Although it reads quickly in poetry form and has an easier Lexile level of 550, there are some really deep lines that cause a reader to think, even one who has read dozens of Holocaust stories. Moishe Moskowitz's story is one I am excited to share. It will be perfect for students who need an easier read but also need to be challenged to actively question and interact with the text for greater meaning. Every single survivor's story is different, and the details leave an incredible impact. Yet, they are somehow the same because they are all brave enough to be witnesses and help educators to never let the world forget them.
January 27, 2023
This holocaust memoir is told in first person narrative poetry. Moishe Moskowitz tells of his family's life as Jews in the Polish town of Kielce. When the Nazi's invaded in 1939 bit by bit all the Jews' freedoms were abolished, the family was torn apart, and atrocities piled on atrocities. Moishe was the only member of his family to survive. His story is told by his daughter and interpreted by poet Hope Anita Smith.
The effect of this account is heart wrenching and powerful. Readers will be amazed at Moishe's story, and the tiny acts of kindness that kept hope alive.
The book is short and can be read in one sitting, but Moishe's experience will not soon be forgotten. The author's notes about Moishe's life after the war are also fascinating.
Recommend for middle school and up.
The effect of this account is heart wrenching and powerful. Readers will be amazed at Moishe's story, and the tiny acts of kindness that kept hope alive.
The book is short and can be read in one sitting, but Moishe's experience will not soon be forgotten. The author's notes about Moishe's life after the war are also fascinating.
Recommend for middle school and up.
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