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The Cat with the Yellow Star: Coming of Age in Terezin
Ela Stein was eleven years old in February of 1942 when she was sent to the Terezin concentration camp with other Czech Jews. By the time she was liberated in 1945, she was fifteen. Somehow during those horrendous three-and-a-half years of sickness, terror, separation from loved ones, and loss, Ela managed to grow up. Although conditions were wretched, Ela forged lifelong friendships with other girls from Room 28 of her barracks. Adults working with the children tried their best to keep up the youngest prisoners' spirits. A children's opera called Brundibar was even performed, and Ela was chosen to play the pivotal role of the cat. Yet amidst all of this, the feared transports to death camps and death itself were a part of daily life. Full of sorrow, yet persistent in its belief that humans can triumph over evil; this unusual memoir tells the story of an unimaginable coming of age.
40 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
2 people are currently reading
162 people want to read
About the author
Susan Goldman Rubin
77 books63 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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August 28, 2009
This is an excellent biography of a Jewish girl who was imprisoned by the Nazis in the concentration camp Terezin. The story goes from when she was very young (she was in Terezin from ages 11 to almost 15) until the present. For young people, along with books such as The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, this book, even though the much of the biography takes place in a concentration camp, is an appropriate introduction to the Holocaust.
Terezin was famous for having many creative, artistic, musical inmates, and Ela is a superb artist, who did study art after WWII.
This slim volume contains a satisfying biography, and many photos and some of the art done by Ela and other children she knew in Terezin. The photos and artwork greatly enhance the reading experience; they make this book a very special document.
At times the writing style seemed stilted. The way the story is told, it’s obvious the author got the information from Ela, who is listed as a co-author.
There are good references in the back of the book, as well as an explanation of how this book came to be written.
Terezin was famous for having many creative, artistic, musical inmates, and Ela is a superb artist, who did study art after WWII.
This slim volume contains a satisfying biography, and many photos and some of the art done by Ela and other children she knew in Terezin. The photos and artwork greatly enhance the reading experience; they make this book a very special document.
At times the writing style seemed stilted. The way the story is told, it’s obvious the author got the information from Ela, who is listed as a co-author.
There are good references in the back of the book, as well as an explanation of how this book came to be written.
May 18, 2011
Theresienstadt, or Terezin as it was commonly called, is probably best remembered as the ‘showcase’ camp among all the Nazi concentration camps. Part camp, part ghetto, conditions in Theresienstadt were appalling for the most part and it also served as a major deportation center. Deportations, Ela Weissberger writes in The Cat with the Yellow Star, were called “being sent to the East” and the inmates of Terezin thought that meant they were going east to work; they didn’t have any idea it meant being sent to a concentration camp like Auschwitz. But Terezin was also the promoted by the Nazis as a cultural center and many of the inmates were among some of the most well-known Jewish members of the arts throughout Europe in the 1930s.
The Cat with the Yellow Star is the true story of Ela Weissberger and her life before, during and after the part of her childhood that she spent in Terezin.
Ela and her family were living in the Sudetenland when the Nazis took control of this area of Czechoslovakia. The family decided to move to Prague, but not before her father, Max Stein, was arrested by the Nazis for speaking out against Hitler. Ela never saw him again.
Not long after arriving in Prague, Jewish children were prohibited from to attend school, all Jews were forced to wear a yellow star, and in 1941, deportations began. In 1942, Ela, age 11, and her family were sent to Terezin. For a while, Ela lived with her mother in a barrack, but her mother soon sent her to live in a barrack designed for girls only. There were 28 girls altogether and began to make Ela lots of friends. The caretaker in her barrack, Tella, was very strict about hygiene even under the terrible conditions of the camp, making sure the girls kept the barrack clean, the bedding was aired out everyday to fight the bedbugs and lice they were plagued with and having the girls wash daily even if the water was ice cold.
But Tella also taught them songs and made sure they did their schoolwork, both of which were forbidden and accomplished in secrecy. Also forbidden was any descriptions of the camp, whether in writing or drawing, but the well-known artist Friedl Dicker-Brandeis was also in Terezin and brought the children art supplies to use under her supervision.
Also in Terezin was composer Hans Krása, who had written the children’s opera Brundibar as an anti-Nazi work. In 1943, he reworked it and it was announced that Brundibar was going to be performed. Ela was cast to play the part of a cat. The Nazi officers were very capricious about allowing cultural activities, but play was allowed to rehearse several times in the summer on 1943. Brundibar was preformed a number of times during 1943-1944. Sadly, as children were deported, their parts were taken over by other kids. Ela, however, was fortunate enough to have never been deported and therefore never missed any of the 55 performances that were given and always played a cat.
In 1944, both the Danish Red Cross and the International Red Cross was allowed to visit Terezin. Of course, the camp was cleaned up and temporarily turned into a “model camp” for the visitors. Among the things the Red Cross visitors were shown was a performance of Brundibar. The Nazis managed to fool the visitors completely with their ruse.
Unfortunately, after this visit, deportations increased considerably and soon there were only three girls left in the barrack besides Ela. Then, in the early spring of 1945, hundreds of people suddenly began streaming into the camp. They were the survivors of the Death March from Auschwitz to Terezin. Among them was Ela’s old friend Helga. Helga told Ela about what life was like in an extermination camp and Ela finally understood what the meaning to “sent to the East” meant. On May 3, 1945, Terezin was liberated and turned over to the International Red Cross.
Ela Weissberger lived in Terezin for 3 ½ years, making many friends there. After the war, she lived in Israel and later, she moved to Brooklyn, NY. On a trip to Europe in the 1970s, she discovered her friend Helga living in Vienna. A reunion of the girls from Ela’s barrack was arranged and they discovered that altogether 15 of them had survived.
Brundiabar seemed to have been lost to history, until renewed interest in it began in 1987. Since then it has been preformed fairly frequently, and Ela has been able to attend performances many times. Ela also spends time speaking to school groups about her experiences in Terezin.
The Cat with the Yellow Star is an excellent book for young readers containing a wealth of information. There are photographs of Ela’s family, copies of the art work she produced in Terezin and some wonderful pictures of her with her friends after they founded each other again in the 1970s. This was an interesting first-hand account of life in a ghetto/concentration camp that was always different from the others. Theresienstadt stands as an example of how clever the Nazis were at deception and propaganda. It was a place that they used to deflect interest away from what they were doing in the other camps and yet, of the 10,632 children sent to Terezin, only 4,096 survived.
A very nice compliment to The Cat with the Yellow Star is the 2003 story of Brundibar retold by Tony Kushner (Angels in America) and illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Unfortunately, the opera's composer Hans Krása was sent to Auschwitz and killed in October 1944 at the age of 45.
This book is recommended for readers age 9 to 12.
This book was borrowed from the Webster Branch of the NYPL.
The Cat with the Yellow Star is the true story of Ela Weissberger and her life before, during and after the part of her childhood that she spent in Terezin.
Ela and her family were living in the Sudetenland when the Nazis took control of this area of Czechoslovakia. The family decided to move to Prague, but not before her father, Max Stein, was arrested by the Nazis for speaking out against Hitler. Ela never saw him again.
Not long after arriving in Prague, Jewish children were prohibited from to attend school, all Jews were forced to wear a yellow star, and in 1941, deportations began. In 1942, Ela, age 11, and her family were sent to Terezin. For a while, Ela lived with her mother in a barrack, but her mother soon sent her to live in a barrack designed for girls only. There were 28 girls altogether and began to make Ela lots of friends. The caretaker in her barrack, Tella, was very strict about hygiene even under the terrible conditions of the camp, making sure the girls kept the barrack clean, the bedding was aired out everyday to fight the bedbugs and lice they were plagued with and having the girls wash daily even if the water was ice cold.
But Tella also taught them songs and made sure they did their schoolwork, both of which were forbidden and accomplished in secrecy. Also forbidden was any descriptions of the camp, whether in writing or drawing, but the well-known artist Friedl Dicker-Brandeis was also in Terezin and brought the children art supplies to use under her supervision.
Also in Terezin was composer Hans Krása, who had written the children’s opera Brundibar as an anti-Nazi work. In 1943, he reworked it and it was announced that Brundibar was going to be performed. Ela was cast to play the part of a cat. The Nazi officers were very capricious about allowing cultural activities, but play was allowed to rehearse several times in the summer on 1943. Brundibar was preformed a number of times during 1943-1944. Sadly, as children were deported, their parts were taken over by other kids. Ela, however, was fortunate enough to have never been deported and therefore never missed any of the 55 performances that were given and always played a cat.
In 1944, both the Danish Red Cross and the International Red Cross was allowed to visit Terezin. Of course, the camp was cleaned up and temporarily turned into a “model camp” for the visitors. Among the things the Red Cross visitors were shown was a performance of Brundibar. The Nazis managed to fool the visitors completely with their ruse.
Unfortunately, after this visit, deportations increased considerably and soon there were only three girls left in the barrack besides Ela. Then, in the early spring of 1945, hundreds of people suddenly began streaming into the camp. They were the survivors of the Death March from Auschwitz to Terezin. Among them was Ela’s old friend Helga. Helga told Ela about what life was like in an extermination camp and Ela finally understood what the meaning to “sent to the East” meant. On May 3, 1945, Terezin was liberated and turned over to the International Red Cross.
Ela Weissberger lived in Terezin for 3 ½ years, making many friends there. After the war, she lived in Israel and later, she moved to Brooklyn, NY. On a trip to Europe in the 1970s, she discovered her friend Helga living in Vienna. A reunion of the girls from Ela’s barrack was arranged and they discovered that altogether 15 of them had survived.
Brundiabar seemed to have been lost to history, until renewed interest in it began in 1987. Since then it has been preformed fairly frequently, and Ela has been able to attend performances many times. Ela also spends time speaking to school groups about her experiences in Terezin.
The Cat with the Yellow Star is an excellent book for young readers containing a wealth of information. There are photographs of Ela’s family, copies of the art work she produced in Terezin and some wonderful pictures of her with her friends after they founded each other again in the 1970s. This was an interesting first-hand account of life in a ghetto/concentration camp that was always different from the others. Theresienstadt stands as an example of how clever the Nazis were at deception and propaganda. It was a place that they used to deflect interest away from what they were doing in the other camps and yet, of the 10,632 children sent to Terezin, only 4,096 survived.
A very nice compliment to The Cat with the Yellow Star is the 2003 story of Brundibar retold by Tony Kushner (Angels in America) and illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Unfortunately, the opera's composer Hans Krása was sent to Auschwitz and killed in October 1944 at the age of 45.
This book is recommended for readers age 9 to 12.
This book was borrowed from the Webster Branch of the NYPL.
June 3, 2019
I thought I'd express my feelings in a Haiku:
such terrible times
with Brundibar there was hope
please never again
such terrible times
with Brundibar there was hope
please never again
October 22, 2023
This is a real story of girls who went to Terezin Concentration Camp in February 1942. Ela Stein was 11
and her sister, Ilona was 13. They stayed there from 1942-1943. Get this book and read it tells about what happened to Jewish Children and their families, during World War II.
and her sister, Ilona was 13. They stayed there from 1942-1943. Get this book and read it tells about what happened to Jewish Children and their families, during World War II.
November 10, 2009
In 1942, at age 11, Ela Weissberger was transported with her Czech family to the Nazi concentration camp Terezin. She was a survivor, and this well written book tells the story of her experience at that camp, including how the young prisoners performed the opera known as Brundibar. While definitely meant for middle age readers and above, there is a touching message within the text about the power of art and love. However, readers are still left with the knowledge of tne prisoners who were starved and sent to their death. This book embraces that need to remember and history to be shared.
January 1, 2018
This is an important book. Written from Ela Weissberger's recollections spanning Kristallnacht in her village in Sudetenland and fleeing to Prague, through her internment at Terezin, to the liberation and her coming of age in the former, Czechoslovakia, Israel, and finally the United States. It deals with the hope that art, music, learning, friendship and fellowship can bring to one forced in unimaginable circumstances.
I am ashamed to write, that I wasn't familiar with the concentration camp at Terezin, nor did I have a familiarity with the opera, Brundibar. But, since I picked up this book with education in mind, we are now inspired to learn more about Ela Weissberger and the reunions of the Children of Terezin. Also the journey of so many displaced souls after World War II. The images of the artwork created by Ela and some of the girls in Room 28 as well as the photographs gave this work dimension and life beyond the written word.
Naomi and I read this over two days, with tears in our eyes; we ended our reading with a prayer and a promise that we "will never forget".
I am ashamed to write, that I wasn't familiar with the concentration camp at Terezin, nor did I have a familiarity with the opera, Brundibar. But, since I picked up this book with education in mind, we are now inspired to learn more about Ela Weissberger and the reunions of the Children of Terezin. Also the journey of so many displaced souls after World War II. The images of the artwork created by Ela and some of the girls in Room 28 as well as the photographs gave this work dimension and life beyond the written word.
Naomi and I read this over two days, with tears in our eyes; we ended our reading with a prayer and a promise that we "will never forget".
May 26, 2020
When Ela Stein was a young child she and many other family members were shipped to Terazin. This was a Czech ghetto. Shortly before they were shipped to Terazin her father was taken away for expressing his opinion about Hitler. That was the last that Ela saw of her father. In the ghetto her mother made a hard choice to send Ela and her sister to a barrack that was specifically for girls around her age. The living conditions were somewhat better and they received a little more food. The girls in room 28 formed a tight group. Soon someone decided they were going to present an opera. They practiced and practiced. At one point the Nazis used their production for propaganda. This book is a book that shows us what friendship and music can do to help people survive. It was a ray of hope in their lives. This is a short book to read, but filled with so much information and lots of pictures to help understand.
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September 5, 2023After reading this book I had to reflect back on many things. Especially how a lot of us are privileged to not experience anything like that at a young age. An 8 year old should never be put in a position like that. It's horrible to even experience that. But I feel like after reading this book I also learned a lesson. To always appreciate everything that is in front of me.
This book illustrates how a young girl had to grow up due to the events going on in her life. She barley had a childhood. But received the opportunity to make close friendships. As well she was able to mature off of this and view life at a different lens than many others.
This book illustrates how a young girl had to grow up due to the events going on in her life. She barley had a childhood. But received the opportunity to make close friendships. As well she was able to mature off of this and view life at a different lens than many others.
September 4, 2023
I really liked this book and appreciate how it put into perspective what life was like for young children growing up during WW2. I haven’t read a lot about what happens to children after they were liberated, and the extents of how what they went through impacted them for their teen years and so on. I thought this book did a good job at representing how those who experienced WW2 at a young age grew up carrying the weight of their past, and how they learned to live their lives afterwards.
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September 5, 2023I have not read many children's books about serious topics, so this was definitely a lot different than anything I had read before. The book explained how when Ela was first sent to concentration camp, she was only eleven, and then by the time she was released, she was fifteen years old. She survived and made friends, all why still managing to grow up into a young woman. This book was very interesting to read, and one that I would have in a future classroom.
April 19, 2020
A compelling story of hardship, creativity, and hope, all in one. Truly inspiring. Touched my heart and my daughter's heart. The ingenuity of the adults that touched the lives of all of these children, is just stunning. Also a stunning child's perspective. The creativity of these talented people in such terrible times, and the hope they gained and gave is admirable and amazing. Such a wealth of knowledge and wisdom lies in the words and images shared. Found some fantastic life quotes. Loved this story.
December 6, 2021
This is a really good biography of a girl who was imprisoned in Terezin during the holocaust. The story follows her from while she was living in the camp to present time. It is kind of similar to “Diary of Anne Frank” but is easier to read and not as long. I think this book is a good introduction to the holocaust.
November 18, 2022
I think this is a good book to have in the classroom. I think more so third grade level is a good time to start introducing the Halocaust. Any younger might scare or make students sad. I feel like we should keep them inocent for a little longer. Howver I think this book does a great job story telling.
November 2, 2021
I really liked this book! I think it would be a good read for 4th-5th graders. It talks about a girl not much older than them, who was sent to a concentration camp because she was Jewish. I think this book could easily be turned into a lesson which will educate students on why we study this event.
December 8, 2021
I think that this book is really good for the classroom when they are talking about concentration camps. It also shows about how the people around Ela helped make the camp more bearable. It is a heartbreaking book, but still so good.
November 18, 2022
I would share this book with kids in upper elementary or middle school. It's important to introduce these topics to students. They are going to be learning about them in the future already and these are struggles real people deal with and that's something we should learn about.
August 12, 2018
Great book. Learned lots. Sad story, yet fascinating.
December 11, 2021
I thought this book was okay. I am not a big fan of historical fiction, but I liked that it talked about her life before, during, and after the war. (WW2)
September 3, 2023
I enjoyed this book, although it has a serious topic I think it was written well for younger ages.
October 2, 2023
This is a great book/memoir about Ela's coming of age story during a perilous time. This book centers around the theme of finding the courage to triumph over evil.
November 14, 2022
i loved reading this book and thought it was cool how they made it into a picture book. it was a riveting story about ella at the concentration camps for about three years and her journey out and where she is today. loved it.
September 28, 2023
This was honestly one of the most powerful and interesting books that I have read surrounding the Holocaust. The way that the people throughout the story look to be optimistic while they are apart of probably one of the worst tragedies in human history was inspiring to me. While reading, I thought about the willpower and toughness of the people in the camps and how it could impact how I view the world around me. Overall, I thought that "The Cat with the Yellow Star" was extremely impactful but also heavy in its content while giving the reader a look at the tragedy that was the Holocaust.
November 24, 2021
A very deep book and also very sad. Although she does keep pushing and wanting to overcome what it happening.
April 24, 2014
Reading Level: 3rd Grade
The book The Cat with the Yellow star, Coming of Age in Terezin is a phenomenal book telling Ela’s story about her survival in Terezin, a holocaust ghetto. Ela was eleven years old when her family was forced to evacuate their home; from there they moved around for a couple of years until they were sent to Terezin. Once in Terezin, her family was all assigned to different locations; Ela lived in room 28 where she made many friends. Ela was fortunate compared to other children in the ghetto because her room received music, art and classroom lessons from other prisoners who were once teachers or professors. The greatest thing to come out of Terezin for Ela and many other adults was Brudibár the opera, Ela played the cat. This opera gave the prisoners a sense of hope to be free one day and allowed everyone to mentally escape the ghetto while they were physically trapped there. Once the war was over and all people of Jewish descent were free, Ela and her family eventually moved to America. She is still giving speeches to schools today. This is written in a very simplistic manner with great images to reference to. This would be a great book to use in the classroom when learning about the holocaust because it is a primary source from Ela who lived in the ghetto. I would encourage the school to look into organizing a visit from Ela Weissberger to get the students interested in learning about the holocaust. I would recommend this book to upper elementary and middle school classrooms because of the harsh reality that comes with learning about the holocaust. This is a great book and is a great read while being informative.
The book The Cat with the Yellow star, Coming of Age in Terezin is a phenomenal book telling Ela’s story about her survival in Terezin, a holocaust ghetto. Ela was eleven years old when her family was forced to evacuate their home; from there they moved around for a couple of years until they were sent to Terezin. Once in Terezin, her family was all assigned to different locations; Ela lived in room 28 where she made many friends. Ela was fortunate compared to other children in the ghetto because her room received music, art and classroom lessons from other prisoners who were once teachers or professors. The greatest thing to come out of Terezin for Ela and many other adults was Brudibár the opera, Ela played the cat. This opera gave the prisoners a sense of hope to be free one day and allowed everyone to mentally escape the ghetto while they were physically trapped there. Once the war was over and all people of Jewish descent were free, Ela and her family eventually moved to America. She is still giving speeches to schools today. This is written in a very simplistic manner with great images to reference to. This would be a great book to use in the classroom when learning about the holocaust because it is a primary source from Ela who lived in the ghetto. I would encourage the school to look into organizing a visit from Ela Weissberger to get the students interested in learning about the holocaust. I would recommend this book to upper elementary and middle school classrooms because of the harsh reality that comes with learning about the holocaust. This is a great book and is a great read while being informative.
April 23, 2014
Reading Level: 4th-5th grade
The book The Cat with the Yellow star, Coming of Age in Terezin is a phenomenal book telling Ela’s story about her survival in Terezin, a holocaust ghetto. Ela was eleven years old when her family was forced to evacuate their home, from there they moved around for a couple of years until her mother, sister, uncle, grandma and herself were sent to Terezin. Once in Terezin, her family was all assigned to different locations; Ela lived in room 28 where she made many friends. Ela was fortunate compared to other children in the ghetto because her room received music, art and classroom lessons from other prisoners who were once teachers or professors. The greatest thing to come out of Terezin for Ela and many other adults was Brudibár the opera, Ela played the cat. This opera gave the prisoners a sense of hope to be free one day and allowed everyone to mentally escape the ghetto while they were physically trapped there. Once the war was over and all people of Jewish descent were free, Ela and her family eventually moved to America. Every time Brudibár is performed, Ela is still invited. This is written in a very simplistic manner with great images to reference to. The weakness of this book is that it displayed a narrow view of what actually occurred during the holocaust. The strength of this book is the pictures of Ela and the artwork she made while in Terezin, it made the story come to life and make the reader realize it was a real event. This book would be a great introduction to discussing the Holocaust or World War II. It doesn't have any graphic content, but is still factual which means it would work well in an Elementary classroom.
The book The Cat with the Yellow star, Coming of Age in Terezin is a phenomenal book telling Ela’s story about her survival in Terezin, a holocaust ghetto. Ela was eleven years old when her family was forced to evacuate their home, from there they moved around for a couple of years until her mother, sister, uncle, grandma and herself were sent to Terezin. Once in Terezin, her family was all assigned to different locations; Ela lived in room 28 where she made many friends. Ela was fortunate compared to other children in the ghetto because her room received music, art and classroom lessons from other prisoners who were once teachers or professors. The greatest thing to come out of Terezin for Ela and many other adults was Brudibár the opera, Ela played the cat. This opera gave the prisoners a sense of hope to be free one day and allowed everyone to mentally escape the ghetto while they were physically trapped there. Once the war was over and all people of Jewish descent were free, Ela and her family eventually moved to America. Every time Brudibár is performed, Ela is still invited. This is written in a very simplistic manner with great images to reference to. The weakness of this book is that it displayed a narrow view of what actually occurred during the holocaust. The strength of this book is the pictures of Ela and the artwork she made while in Terezin, it made the story come to life and make the reader realize it was a real event. This book would be a great introduction to discussing the Holocaust or World War II. It doesn't have any graphic content, but is still factual which means it would work well in an Elementary classroom.
April 29, 2015
So first of all, this book was not very interesting to me. I do love learning about different cultures and the history of different people around the world but this story in particular was not my favorite. I found it to be kind of dull.The Cat with the Yellow Star: Coming of Age in Terezin by Susan Goldman Rubin and Ela Weissberger was published in 2007 and won the award as well. Ela is the main character and she is an eleven-year-old girl. She was sent to the Terezin concentration camp in 1942. During the time that Ela was at the concentration camp she was chosen to play the cat in the opera Brundibar. This book is filled with sadness but at the same time plays a beautiful tribute to the people that went out of their way to help the children of Terezin.
The Cat with the Yellow Star: Coming of Age is about the Jewish culture and the things that the Jews suffered through during the Holocaust. The story goes into depth about a girl named Ela and her experience at a concentration camp. This book goes into great detail about the Jewish culture and is very rich in cultural details.
December 5, 2016
This was a very heartwarming book about the journey of Ela Stein, a Jewish person during the times of the Holocaust. Ela was removed from her home, after several moves, her and her mother and sister were sent to Terezin, a Jewish concentration camp. At Terezin, Ela became friends with many other girls in her barrack; they were all each other had. There were many kinds of Jewish people at this camp, artists, scientists, teachers, singers, etc. Among those people was a director and her started auditions for an opera. Ela was selected to be The Cat in the opera and was excited to be a part of something that helped her forget where she was at and something that brought joy to other prisoners. Ela and the rest of the cast put on many shows until many of the cast members were transported. Eventually, the camp was nearly emptied. In 1945 the camp was liberated and Ela was free. She would resume her life outside the camp and move back into her old neighborhood and meet up with other prisoners who also survived.
This book is rich in detail, amazing accuracy and authenticity and an in depth treatment of cultural issues. This books takes you through a survivors journey with first hand information straight from the source. This would be a good book to use on a book report in a history class for a lesson on the Holocaust.
This book is rich in detail, amazing accuracy and authenticity and an in depth treatment of cultural issues. This books takes you through a survivors journey with first hand information straight from the source. This would be a good book to use on a book report in a history class for a lesson on the Holocaust.
November 11, 2013
This book was the story of a young Jewish girl who lived during the time of the Holocaust. Most of the book takes place in Terezin, which is a Jewish ghetto in Czechoslovakia. You hear what it was like to live through the Holocaust in the perspective of a young eleven-year-old girl. Ela must move into the girls housing unit when they move to Terezin, at one point her room was packed with thirty young girls. In this housing unit Ela talks about adults sneaking in to teach the young girls about art, music, writing, and many other subjects. Educating the Jewish children was against the Nazis rules and they could be punished, but they knew it was important. The Jewish community secretly begins rehearsing for a play, the Brundibar, a story of two young children fighting against an evil man. This story symbolized the Jewish peoples’ fight with Hitler and it brought their community together in this horrific time. The book ends with Ela grown up and reuniting with her lost friends from Terezin. Ela still goes to see the Brundibar as a memorial for the friends who did not make it and to commemorate the won battle they fought in order to stay alive. I think this book would be great for the classroom. It puts the Holocaust in the perspective of your students.
July 11, 2010
The Cat with the Yellow Star: Coming of Age in Terezin is set up like a picture book, but is written for a slightly older audience. This beautiful books tells the story of Ela Weissberger. Ela and her family were transported from their home in Czechoslovakia to Terezin.
While in the camp Ela becomes part of a group of children who perform the opera Brundibar. The children perform and rehearse daily allowing them temporary escape from the horror that is their reality. Ela plays the role of the cat. Ela performed some 55 times while in camp. At the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie, Illinois (and I'm sure in other Holocaust museums) there is footage of Ella and the rest of the children performing this opera.
This book is filled with wonderful pictures of Ela and others, but assumes a working knowledge of the Holocaust. None of the story is particularly grim or disturbing making it an excellent book to share with students as young as thrid grade.
Ela survived the war and went on to perform Brundibar as an adult with the many children's groups who have since performed the opera in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.
While in the camp Ela becomes part of a group of children who perform the opera Brundibar. The children perform and rehearse daily allowing them temporary escape from the horror that is their reality. Ela plays the role of the cat. Ela performed some 55 times while in camp. At the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie, Illinois (and I'm sure in other Holocaust museums) there is footage of Ella and the rest of the children performing this opera.
This book is filled with wonderful pictures of Ela and others, but assumes a working knowledge of the Holocaust. None of the story is particularly grim or disturbing making it an excellent book to share with students as young as thrid grade.
Ela survived the war and went on to perform Brundibar as an adult with the many children's groups who have since performed the opera in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.
October 1, 2016
The narrative of Ela Weissberger's life is complemented by a surprising number of photographs that take the reader from her life before the war, fleeing Hitler, through their deportation to Terezin, and beyond to Israel and finally settling permanently in the United States. Other survivors and how the experience impacted her life are discussed with a sense of triumph over the heavy burdens of her youth.
We used this title as a complement to Anne Frank's Diary and the equally well done "Terezin: Voices form the Holocaust" by Ruth Thomson,
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9...
and "A Father's Promise" by Donna Lynn Hess.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...
This combination was a gentle introduction to the Holocaust for middle schoolers. Because the family's were focused on escaping Hitler by moving, Anne Frank's diary ends with their capture, Terezin was not an extermination camp, information known about the Nazi's murders was limited to rumors, and these books focus on hope the of survivors while acknowledging losses, the holocaust serves as a defining background, without the frightening foreground.
We used this title as a complement to Anne Frank's Diary and the equally well done "Terezin: Voices form the Holocaust" by Ruth Thomson,
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9...
and "A Father's Promise" by Donna Lynn Hess.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...
This combination was a gentle introduction to the Holocaust for middle schoolers. Because the family's were focused on escaping Hitler by moving, Anne Frank's diary ends with their capture, Terezin was not an extermination camp, information known about the Nazi's murders was limited to rumors, and these books focus on hope the of survivors while acknowledging losses, the holocaust serves as a defining background, without the frightening foreground.
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