Sarah Somebody

by Florence Slobodkin, Louis Slobodkin (illustrator)

A poor little Polish girl learns to write names and becomes someone special to her family and school friends.

71 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Florence Gershkowitz Slobodkin (1905-1994)

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abby: 4⭐️, Grace 3.5⭐️

A sweet little book about Sarah and her Jewish family set in Russia in 1893.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marginalized City Blue Highway 660033

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm glad that I didn't pass this one over. The title is very nondescript, but this is a sweet story about Polish Jews in the late 19th century. It's seven short chapters that tell of how Sarah was able to attend school and what happened to her there. The ending is very well done. Louis Slobodkin's illustrations are wonderful - they have a little of the style of Sendak's A Hole is to Dig: kind of cartoonish, but with depth.

[Laura]

This story would be great to show students how important it is to learn. Students are amazed when they learn about the differences between the past and the present and to think that someone could not go to school in the past would fascinate them I'm sure. Hopefully it would help them appreciate their ability to go to school as well.

[Miss Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

gr 2-3 72pgs

1893, Poland (part of Russia at that time). 9 year old Sarah is given an opportunity to be a "somebody" and learn to read and write like her brothers when a neighbor Miss Chesnov decided to open a school for girls. Sarah is afraid that her father, a poor melamed (teacher of Hebrew prayers and laws) in the village, but the money is found and Sarah is able to go!

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful story about a girl in Poland in 1893 who wants to go to school at a time when girls weren't encouraged to do so.