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The Brass Charm
A young girl’s grandmother gives her a brass charm, and passes along a story of hope and kindness during an unimaginable time. Tali is staying at her Oma’s apartment after a storm demolishes their house. She is upset at losing everything. “People have survived worse,” says her mother ― Oma survived World War II, and never speaks of it. But that night, Oma shares her story of Holocaust survival, the brass monkey charm that she was given in the camp, and a message of kindness and perseverance in the face of disaster. This book includes an author’s note, in which Monique Polak explains how it was inspired by her mother’s true experience at Terezin, a Nazi concentration camp in what is now the Czech Republic.
- GenresChildrensPicture Books
32 pages, Hardcover
Published September 6, 2022
2 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 26, 2022
The Brass Charm
Written by Monique Polak, Illustrated by Marie Lafrance
After a storm severely damages young Tali's home, Tali moves into her grandmother's apartment. There Tali meets a lonely girl who lives across the hall. But Tali is grieving the loss of her house, her bed, and her books. She doesn't think she has enough room in her heart to think about Elodie's problems.
"How can I explain that I'm too sad to think of anyone besides myself?" Tali wonders.
But sadness isn't exclusive to children, as Tali soon learns. Her Grandma has a sad story that she's been unable to share until now. Tali's grandmother sees that her story might help her granddaughter.
"Long ago, in stormy times," Tali's grandmother begins the story of her own loss and the brass monkey charm. She tells Tali the about her time during WWII in Terezin Concentration camp.
The Brass Charm is a powerful story of how it is possible to reach out to others, even amid our sadness. I think readers will be moved by Marie Lafrance's touching illustrations. My favorite illustration is of the lady prisoner who shares the only thing she has left to give a young girl on her birthday – the monkey charm. Lafrance shows how little the prisoners have. In a lovely and subtle touch, she draws the lady "so tall and beautiful," so poor she didn't have a button to sew back onto her dress. It was held together by a safety pin. Those are the sorts details that make the illustrations so powerful.
Written by Monique Polak, Illustrated by Marie Lafrance
After a storm severely damages young Tali's home, Tali moves into her grandmother's apartment. There Tali meets a lonely girl who lives across the hall. But Tali is grieving the loss of her house, her bed, and her books. She doesn't think she has enough room in her heart to think about Elodie's problems.
"How can I explain that I'm too sad to think of anyone besides myself?" Tali wonders.
But sadness isn't exclusive to children, as Tali soon learns. Her Grandma has a sad story that she's been unable to share until now. Tali's grandmother sees that her story might help her granddaughter.
"Long ago, in stormy times," Tali's grandmother begins the story of her own loss and the brass monkey charm. She tells Tali the about her time during WWII in Terezin Concentration camp.
The Brass Charm is a powerful story of how it is possible to reach out to others, even amid our sadness. I think readers will be moved by Marie Lafrance's touching illustrations. My favorite illustration is of the lady prisoner who shares the only thing she has left to give a young girl on her birthday – the monkey charm. Lafrance shows how little the prisoners have. In a lovely and subtle touch, she draws the lady "so tall and beautiful," so poor she didn't have a button to sew back onto her dress. It was held together by a safety pin. Those are the sorts details that make the illustrations so powerful.
September 4, 2022
Tali is devastated and inconsolable when a storm takes the roof off her house. Staying with her Oma she learns the story of how as a young girl her Oma was sent to a prison camp. A stranger gave Oma a gift of a brass monkey and although it wasn't much it helped her throught the tough times. It is passed on to Tali who then realizes she will make it through this, and pass this on in turn to someone else who may neeed it.
December 18, 2022
A good WWII story about kindness.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews