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Ultima călătorie. Doctorul Korczak și copiii săi
„Copilul nu devine om, el este deja om.”
Cu această afirmație celebră, pediatrul și educatorul Janusz Korczak a schimbat modul în care privim copilăria.
În primele decenii ale învolburatului secol XX, în Polonia, s-a ocupat de mii de copii săraci și fără familie, evrei, dar nu numai. Astfel s-a născut o experiență pedagogică extraordinară, care a continuat între zidurile ghetoului din Varșovia, experiență prin intermediul căreia copiii, actori ai propriei lor educații, s-au construit pe ei înșiși. Doctorul Korczak a fost alături de ei și i-a ascultat, i-a ajutat, i-a iubit, i-a susținut. I-a respectat și i-a admirat.
Ne e dor să ne jucăm cu el, să ne spună basme și povești inventate de el, să organizăm concerte cu mica orchestră a orfelinatului. Ne e dor să ne încurajeze. Dacă ne doare ceva, el freacă locul dureros și spune: „Trece buba imediat, ca și când nu s-a întâmplat.” Și durerea dispare.
Noaptea, trece printre paturi și se apleacă pentru a asculta respirațiile, tusea, suspinele și pentru a ghici astfel cine e bolnav, cine e trist, cui îi este frică.
Uneori se așază pe o bancă și imediat micuții vin toți și se lipesc de el. Atunci, el spune că este un copac bătrân pe care copiii se așază precum păsările.
Adesea, în timp ce vorbește, ne mângâie pe obraz sau ne pune mâna pe cap. Are palmele puternice, uscate și blânde. Chiar dacă suntem mulți, ochii albaștri și pătrunzători ai lui Pan Doktor observă imediat un copil trist. Atunci, se duce la el, îl mângâie pe cap și-i șoptește la ureche câteva cuvinte simple, dar însemnate, ca un mare secret.
Ultima calatorie
Pe 29 noiembrie 1940, aproape 200 de copii evrei mărșăluiesc pe străzile din Varșovia. Cu inima strânsă, dar cu fruntea sus, conduși de iubitul lor doctor Korczak, părăsesc frumosul orfelinat din strada Krochmalna pentru a merge în ghetou. Noua lor casă e mult mai mică, iar ghetoul este de fapt o închisoare unde evreii sunt închiși de naziști. Dar doctorul Korczak veghează asupra copiilor săi. Îi va însoți până în ultima lor călătorie, în lagărul de la Treblinka.
De partea copiilor. Întotdeauna
Aceasta este povestea adevărată a omului ale cărui idei au inspirat profund Convenția internațională a ONU cu privire la drepturile copilului. O poveste despre curaj, hotărâre și dragoste de viață și, mai presus de toate, despre respectul față de copii și copilărie.
Cu această afirmație celebră, pediatrul și educatorul Janusz Korczak a schimbat modul în care privim copilăria.
În primele decenii ale învolburatului secol XX, în Polonia, s-a ocupat de mii de copii săraci și fără familie, evrei, dar nu numai. Astfel s-a născut o experiență pedagogică extraordinară, care a continuat între zidurile ghetoului din Varșovia, experiență prin intermediul căreia copiii, actori ai propriei lor educații, s-au construit pe ei înșiși. Doctorul Korczak a fost alături de ei și i-a ascultat, i-a ajutat, i-a iubit, i-a susținut. I-a respectat și i-a admirat.
Ne e dor să ne jucăm cu el, să ne spună basme și povești inventate de el, să organizăm concerte cu mica orchestră a orfelinatului. Ne e dor să ne încurajeze. Dacă ne doare ceva, el freacă locul dureros și spune: „Trece buba imediat, ca și când nu s-a întâmplat.” Și durerea dispare.
Noaptea, trece printre paturi și se apleacă pentru a asculta respirațiile, tusea, suspinele și pentru a ghici astfel cine e bolnav, cine e trist, cui îi este frică.
Uneori se așază pe o bancă și imediat micuții vin toți și se lipesc de el. Atunci, el spune că este un copac bătrân pe care copiii se așază precum păsările.
Adesea, în timp ce vorbește, ne mângâie pe obraz sau ne pune mâna pe cap. Are palmele puternice, uscate și blânde. Chiar dacă suntem mulți, ochii albaștri și pătrunzători ai lui Pan Doktor observă imediat un copil trist. Atunci, se duce la el, îl mângâie pe cap și-i șoptește la ureche câteva cuvinte simple, dar însemnate, ca un mare secret.
Ultima calatorie
Pe 29 noiembrie 1940, aproape 200 de copii evrei mărșăluiesc pe străzile din Varșovia. Cu inima strânsă, dar cu fruntea sus, conduși de iubitul lor doctor Korczak, părăsesc frumosul orfelinat din strada Krochmalna pentru a merge în ghetou. Noua lor casă e mult mai mică, iar ghetoul este de fapt o închisoare unde evreii sunt închiși de naziști. Dar doctorul Korczak veghează asupra copiilor săi. Îi va însoți până în ultima lor călătorie, în lagărul de la Treblinka.
De partea copiilor. Întotdeauna
Aceasta este povestea adevărată a omului ale cărui idei au inspirat profund Convenția internațională a ONU cu privire la drepturile copilului. O poveste despre curaj, hotărâre și dragoste de viață și, mai presus de toate, despre respectul față de copii și copilărie.
64 pages, Hardcover
First published February 10, 2015
5 people are currently reading
224 people want to read
About the author
Irène Cohen-Janca
37 books2 followersIrène Cohen-Janca est née à Tunis où elle a vécu son enfance. Après avoir obtenu une maîtrise de Lettres Modernes, elle devient conservateur de bibliothèque. Elle réside en Essonne où elle exerce son métier de conservateur. Elle a publié plusieurs romans aux éditions du Rouergue.
Irène Cohen-Janca was born and raised in Tunis. After receiving her university degree in modern literature, she became a librarian. She is currently a collections manager librarian in Essonne, France, and has written several books.
Irène Cohen-Janca was born and raised in Tunis. After receiving her university degree in modern literature, she became a librarian. She is currently a collections manager librarian in Essonne, France, and has written several books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
January 24, 2015
A moving, powerful and beautifully illustrated true story of the Holocaust.
The story of Doctor Korczak, the inspirational director, of a Jewish orphanage in Warsaw who selflessly went with his wards to the horror of the gas chambers at Treblinka is quite well known.
All stories of the Holocaust are difficult to convey to a 9-12 year old, however, Irène Cohen-Janca has placed this story of compassion and love amidst the horrors of the Warsaw Ghetto compellingly into the view point of one of the orphans that young readers will understand.
The words are greatly enhanced by the excellent illustrations of Maurizio A.C. Quarelloetto and although the subject matter is disturbing the book is very moving and leaves you with a powerful message of humanity and bravery in one of history's darkest periods.
October 3, 2019
În 1940, aproximativ 200 de copii pleacă din orfelinatul care îi găzduia în capitala Poloniei, mutați în cămine tot mai mici și neîncăpătoare, incomozi în calea naziștilor care „măturau” lumea după criteriile pe care le știm foarte bine cu toții. „Naziștii nu vor ca micii evrei să crească mari” este unul dintre cele mai impresionante citate pe care le-am extras din carte, dar și unul dintre cele mai crunte adevăruri: în încercarea de a distruge un grup, copiii sunt speranțele care dispar tocmai pentru a tăia șansele de scăpare de la rădăcină. Janusz Korczak a fost cel care a făcut tot ce i-a stat în putință și chiar mai mult pentru a feri de opresiune cea mai vulnerabilă categorie de vârstă. Pe numele său adevărat Henryk Goldszmit, el a fost arestat și chiar trimis la închisoare când a intervenit în legătură cu mutarea în ghetou a micilor orfani; nu și-a părăsit copiii când aceștia au fost trimiși la moarte, dar a fost decorat postmortem, lucru pe care îl observ întotdeauna ca pe o dovadă supremă de ipocrizie și eșec a societății moderne.
Recenzia completă aici: https://bit.ly/2pybxgm
Recenzia completă aici: https://bit.ly/2pybxgm
June 25, 2015
Great story - made me tear up, I was ready to recommend it to everyone- until there wasn't an ending. There was no ending to a children's book. It just says they marched off, and while those familiar with the Holocaust understand to where, children learning about it from this story might not understand why the children go on this particular walk. Everything is drawn out in detail and then you get here and it is basically "they went on a walk" and names each orphan in turn. Then it ends and another section opens up to tell the details of the real Doctor Korczak.
The illustrations were the absolute best part - they were amazing. Emotional.
The illustrations were the absolute best part - they were amazing. Emotional.
July 23, 2025
Penetrante. Drammatico. Commovente.
May 5, 2015
Janusz Korczak was a well-known, well-respected children's pediatrician in Poland in the early part of the 1900s. Among his many accomplishments, he had founded an orphanage to care for some of Warsaw's young Jewish orphans. He loved children and would often regale his charges with stories he made up, including the now classic tale of King Matt the First, as well as looking after their health and cheering them up with their needed it. And the children loved him back, affectionately calling him Mister Doctor.
On November 29, 1940, all the orphans living in the big orphanage at 92 Krochmalha Street in Warsaw, Poland were ordered to leave by the Nazis. Accompanied by Mister Doctor and his assistant Madam Stefa, all of the children walked to the ghetto that would be their new home for a while carrying their meager belongings, softly singing, and the flag of King Matt the First.
Their new home is small, located within a two block radius, surrounded by barbed wire and armed watchman, their living quarters are cramped and dirty. When their wagon full of potatoes were confiscated by the Nazis, Mister Doctor put on his WWI uniform and went to Gestapo headquarters, where he was laughed at, ridiculed, beaten and temporarily arrested.
Life in the ghetto grew more and more crowded as more Jews were brought in, food became scarcer and scarcer, with men, women and children dying in the streets everyday from starvation and disease. Finally, in August 1942, the children were ordered to the train station and from there to a concentration camp and death. But Mister Doctor was offered his freedom, after all, he was a famous doctor. Instead, he refused and choose to accompany his children on this final journey.
The story Mister Doctor is told by a young boy named Simon to a younger, newly arrived orphan named Mietek. Simon describes in detail how the orphanage was run, how the children were educated and how Mister Doctor took such special care of all of them. At the same time, Simon is talking about past, he also gives detailed information to the reader about what is going on in their present situation. Cohen-Janca has really captured the sense of longing and nostalgia in Simon's voice when he talks about life in the orphanage before the Nazis invaded Poland, and the fear and apprehension he feels about what is to come.
The story told here is a fictional reimagining of what happened to Dr. Janusz Korczak and the children in his care, but based on the true story of what happened to them during the Holocaust. Pay particular attention to the last three paragraphs of this book and ask yourself who wrote them and why?
Like Michael Morpurgo's Half A Man, this book also looks like a chapter book with only 68 pages a simple narrative style and many illustrations, but it is also deceptively complicated and really for a middle grade reader.
The realistic black and white illustrations set against a marbled peach background are a precise reflection of the words that Cohen-Janca has written, and give the reader a real-to-life sense of the children, the doctor and their lives from 1940 to 1942. Little touches, like the figure of Puss in Boots leaping over the barbed-wire fence of the ghetto as Simon talks about how that cat and his courageous deeds always gave the orphans courage. But there is a subtext that says the Nazis can take away housing, food, dignity, but not the stories that means so much and help the get kids through very difficult times.
This is a powerfully poignant story that shouldn't be missed. Additionally, at the end of Mister Doctor is information about the real Janusz Korczak, whose real name was Henryk Goldszmit, followed by a briefbut useful list of Further Reading and Resources, Children's Books by Janusz Korczak, Resources for Parents and Teachers and Related Links.
Mister Doctor was translated by Paula Ayer
This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was an E-ARC received from NetGalley
This review was originally posted at The Children's War
On November 29, 1940, all the orphans living in the big orphanage at 92 Krochmalha Street in Warsaw, Poland were ordered to leave by the Nazis. Accompanied by Mister Doctor and his assistant Madam Stefa, all of the children walked to the ghetto that would be their new home for a while carrying their meager belongings, softly singing, and the flag of King Matt the First.
Their new home is small, located within a two block radius, surrounded by barbed wire and armed watchman, their living quarters are cramped and dirty. When their wagon full of potatoes were confiscated by the Nazis, Mister Doctor put on his WWI uniform and went to Gestapo headquarters, where he was laughed at, ridiculed, beaten and temporarily arrested.
Life in the ghetto grew more and more crowded as more Jews were brought in, food became scarcer and scarcer, with men, women and children dying in the streets everyday from starvation and disease. Finally, in August 1942, the children were ordered to the train station and from there to a concentration camp and death. But Mister Doctor was offered his freedom, after all, he was a famous doctor. Instead, he refused and choose to accompany his children on this final journey.
The story Mister Doctor is told by a young boy named Simon to a younger, newly arrived orphan named Mietek. Simon describes in detail how the orphanage was run, how the children were educated and how Mister Doctor took such special care of all of them. At the same time, Simon is talking about past, he also gives detailed information to the reader about what is going on in their present situation. Cohen-Janca has really captured the sense of longing and nostalgia in Simon's voice when he talks about life in the orphanage before the Nazis invaded Poland, and the fear and apprehension he feels about what is to come.
The story told here is a fictional reimagining of what happened to Dr. Janusz Korczak and the children in his care, but based on the true story of what happened to them during the Holocaust. Pay particular attention to the last three paragraphs of this book and ask yourself who wrote them and why?
Like Michael Morpurgo's Half A Man, this book also looks like a chapter book with only 68 pages a simple narrative style and many illustrations, but it is also deceptively complicated and really for a middle grade reader.
The realistic black and white illustrations set against a marbled peach background are a precise reflection of the words that Cohen-Janca has written, and give the reader a real-to-life sense of the children, the doctor and their lives from 1940 to 1942. Little touches, like the figure of Puss in Boots leaping over the barbed-wire fence of the ghetto as Simon talks about how that cat and his courageous deeds always gave the orphans courage. But there is a subtext that says the Nazis can take away housing, food, dignity, but not the stories that means so much and help the get kids through very difficult times.
This is a powerfully poignant story that shouldn't be missed. Additionally, at the end of Mister Doctor is information about the real Janusz Korczak, whose real name was Henryk Goldszmit, followed by a briefbut useful list of Further Reading and Resources, Children's Books by Janusz Korczak, Resources for Parents and Teachers and Related Links.
Mister Doctor was translated by Paula Ayer
This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was an E-ARC received from NetGalley
This review was originally posted at The Children's War
March 2, 2015
Dr. Korczak is Mr. doctor. Mr. Doctor lives on the top floor of an orphanage for Jewish children. He ran the orphanage in a way that was considered revolutionary. The children rule themselves. Why did Mr. Doctor do this? Why did the children agree to do it? Amazingly, the children do. Mr. Doctor also gives the children different cards, one for doing good, one for memories (a way to remember a special experience) etc. When the Nazis come and take the orphans to the ghetto, Mr. Doctor decides to make it fun by having the children pretend they are a circus parade. When it is time to leave the ghetto, the good Mr. Doctor goes with them rather than accepting the opportunity to live. Why?
This true story is amazing. It grabs you as you read. The author writes this simply but elegantly. You are drawn into it also by the excellent illustrations. I finished the book with my heart fully engaged as it is a sad but necessary book to read so we do not forget the horror of the Nazis.
Disclaimer: I received a digital galley of this book free from the publisher from NetGalley. I was not obliged to write a favourable review, or even any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
This true story is amazing. It grabs you as you read. The author writes this simply but elegantly. You are drawn into it also by the excellent illustrations. I finished the book with my heart fully engaged as it is a sad but necessary book to read so we do not forget the horror of the Nazis.
Disclaimer: I received a digital galley of this book free from the publisher from NetGalley. I was not obliged to write a favourable review, or even any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.
December 13, 2016
Nonfiction and picture book hybrid, because the art is such an integral part of the book and does help to tell the story. An important historical account of Dr. Janusz Korczak (the pen name of Dr. Henryk Goldszmit) who ran a Jewish orphanage in Nazi-occupied Poland. This is an inspirational story set within the true-life horrors of the Warsaw ghetto.
Despite the length and limited text, the heart-wrenching subject matter make this book suitable for middle schoolers, but not younger children. It is best read in a classroom, group setting, or accompanied by an adult so that the deplorable treatment and lack of humanity can be discussed and put in context of the WWII setting. Children (and adults) will need to dissect and digest the contents of this book after reading it. Despite this, or because of it, this book is a valuable read for both children and adults. May we never forget the Holocaust, or we are doomed to repeat it.
The illustrations are stunning and complement the book extraordinarily well. Like the text, the art is deceptively simple yet rather profound.
Despite the length and limited text, the heart-wrenching subject matter make this book suitable for middle schoolers, but not younger children. It is best read in a classroom, group setting, or accompanied by an adult so that the deplorable treatment and lack of humanity can be discussed and put in context of the WWII setting. Children (and adults) will need to dissect and digest the contents of this book after reading it. Despite this, or because of it, this book is a valuable read for both children and adults. May we never forget the Holocaust, or we are doomed to repeat it.
The illustrations are stunning and complement the book extraordinarily well. Like the text, the art is deceptively simple yet rather profound.
December 22, 2020
"El amor no puede ser obligatorio pero el respeto si"
Un libro muy triste y real, donde la autora nos refleja el suplicio, la tortura y la terrible muerte de niños huérfanos judíos en la segunda guerra mundial. Donde su única salida eran las enseñanzas, las aventuras y los abrazos del Doctor Korczak, un gran pedagogo, un gran médico, un gran padre, que lucho por los derechos de los niños hasta las últimas de sus consecuencias.
¿Para qué leer El último viaje del Doctor korczak y sus hijos?
1. Por que muestra el dolor de los huérfanos a través de la historia.
2. Muestra sin ocultar nada, la realidad gris que vivieron muchos judíos en la segunda guerra mundial.
3. Genera el uso pedagógico para afrontar las incertidumbres y el dolor.
4. Las ilustraciones son preciosas y reflejan el mundo lleno de muerte y desesperanza en los años de 1940.
5. El final es real y doloroso que sí lo investigan, les romperá el corazón y les helará la sangre.
Un libro muy triste y real, donde la autora nos refleja el suplicio, la tortura y la terrible muerte de niños huérfanos judíos en la segunda guerra mundial. Donde su única salida eran las enseñanzas, las aventuras y los abrazos del Doctor Korczak, un gran pedagogo, un gran médico, un gran padre, que lucho por los derechos de los niños hasta las últimas de sus consecuencias.
¿Para qué leer El último viaje del Doctor korczak y sus hijos?
1. Por que muestra el dolor de los huérfanos a través de la historia.
2. Muestra sin ocultar nada, la realidad gris que vivieron muchos judíos en la segunda guerra mundial.
3. Genera el uso pedagógico para afrontar las incertidumbres y el dolor.
4. Las ilustraciones son preciosas y reflejan el mundo lleno de muerte y desesperanza en los años de 1940.
5. El final es real y doloroso que sí lo investigan, les romperá el corazón y les helará la sangre.
October 20, 2018
This is a beautifully told true story, a sad World War II story filled with hope. Doctor Janusz Korczak (pronounced Yah-noosh Kor-chock) was devoted to the many orphans he cared for in the orphanage. He treated each one with love and respect, so when they were all sent to the ghetto he wouldn't leave them. Not even at the end.
The illustrations are mostly in black and white and perfectly represent things as they were.
The illustrations are mostly in black and white and perfectly represent things as they were.
March 22, 2018
I read this one for class.
It's a beautiful picture book about two hundred very important children and the man who took care of them right up until the end. Budget at least a day to read it, because you're going to be wandering around feeling soulless and hollowed out for several hours.
A necessary book, particularly given the times.
It's a beautiful picture book about two hundred very important children and the man who took care of them right up until the end. Budget at least a day to read it, because you're going to be wandering around feeling soulless and hollowed out for several hours.
A necessary book, particularly given the times.
December 26, 2022
"Fuimos jóvenes plantas arrancadas con violencia de la tierra."
Es un libro ilustrado muy cortito, toca varios puntos de una forma breve, creo que si buscas empezar a leer sobre el Holocausto, este libro te puede ayudar a introducirte, quizá para entender cosas en otros libros más adultos.
Creo que es ideal para introducir tanto a pequeños como grandes.
Es un libro ilustrado muy cortito, toca varios puntos de una forma breve, creo que si buscas empezar a leer sobre el Holocausto, este libro te puede ayudar a introducirte, quizá para entender cosas en otros libros más adultos.
Creo que es ideal para introducir tanto a pequeños como grandes.
October 26, 2019
A really moving book. The illustrations are filled with depth and emotion. The words are beautiful and poetic. The story is incredible powerful and heartbreaking. The only thing I wish this book did differently would be to simplify the writing slightly or change the audience.
Read
February 2, 2023It's a picture book about the Warsaw Ghetto orphanage. An interesting take on how to tell a tragic story.
Didn't realize it wasn't a novel until getting it from the library, but I read it anyways because Doctor Korczak is just so awesome
Didn't realize it wasn't a novel until getting it from the library, but I read it anyways because Doctor Korczak is just so awesome
January 9, 2026
Both the art and the text are stunning in their sparse detail. This is so much more than a children's book. It shows the harsh reality of the Holocaust and yet the bright strength of a doctor who was faithful to his labor till the end.
August 24, 2017
Everyone needs to read this book, especially in today's world
October 21, 2017
Amazing and heartbreaking! #readathon
December 7, 2017
I wonder how many children nowadays would be overwhelmed by the sadness and seriousness. Beautiful pencil drawings.
February 18, 2018
Disegni color seppia prevedibili per la storia narrata.
July 11, 2018
A translation about a sad event- an orphanage in the Warsaw Ghetto, led by a heroic person, Dr. Janusz Korczak. I was reminded of Book of Aron by Jim Shepherd.
November 12, 2019
This is a child's book but is awesome and adults need to be aware of it. I have read a lot about the holocaust but did not know about this man and his orphans. Sad but inspiring---a true hero.
November 9, 2020
Storia molto commovente che funge da spunto di riflessione sui diritti dell'infanzia. Le illustrazioni mirabili di Quarello rinforzano ancora di più la potenza del racconto.
March 16, 2021
Heartbreaking.....
August 19, 2021
Un cuentito pequeño con una inolvidable historia de valor, resistencia y amor a la vida. Y, sobre todo, de respeto por la infancia, hacen falta mas Janusz Korczak en el mundo.
February 23, 2022
ultima calatorie
April 18, 2022
Heart-breaking story, with empowering characters. A must read.
February 4, 2024
Lo leí porque se lo dejaron a mi sobrinita en la secundaria, muy triste, devastador, se te hace el corazón chiquito a pesar de que es muy corto, es una historia que te deja marca.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2025
Deși e o poveste tristă, îngrozitoare, copiii pot remarca blândețea și curajul domnul doctor și au o speranță pentru viața lor din eternitate.
March 14, 2015
They Called Him “Mister Doctor”
Janusz Korczak was a pediatrician who gave up a potentially lucrative practice to found an orphanage for the children he loved. And the children loved him; the nickname they gave their mentor was “Mister Doctor.” In this book by the same title, his story is told from the perspective of one of the orphans—who could be any of the orphans or all the orphans.
The book opens with the last days in final period of the famous orphanage on Krochmalna Street; the Nazis invaded Warsaw on September 1, 1939, and shortly thereafter ordered the city’s Jewish population into the Warsaw Ghetto. The journey is one fraught with darkness and fear, as shown by the somber illustrations showing barbed wire. They walk past the house of horrors they know as the Black Palace. (I believe the author was referring to the infamous Pawiak Prison; I doubt the children actually passed that landmark, as it was on the opposite side of the Ghetto. However, the episode adds literary value to the narrative.) The horrors of the trek are in marked contrast to the soft, warm hands of Doctor Korczak and illustration of his favorite fairy tale character, Puss in Boots, bounding over a barbed blockade.
Their new home was the best Korczak could find, but “the house of tears” at 33 Chlodna Street is clearly nothing like their beautiful old home; in one illustration, even the houseflies on the window sill are dead. Though flashbacks, the narrator recalls all the Old Doctor’s innovations: the children’s court, their newspaper, the bulletin board, postcards…. In the Ghetto, everyone clings to hope by celebrating their Jewish heritage and identity. Some children learn Hebrew. A professor teaches the children a poem, “Brothers,” by the great local poet, I.L Peretz, which they make into a song: “Light and dark, and in between/ All the colors come together./ We are all sisters and brothers/ From one father and one mother,/ And God created all of us./ The whole world is our nation. / We are all sisters and brothers.”
The most poignant part of the life of Janusz Korczak is the final march, which has been remembered in diaries, poems, movies, and statues. In Mister Doctor, the last walk is portrayed in a beautiful fold-out. But the story does not end there; the Rights of the Child would be taken up by the U.N. and given global stature. Perhaps little Henryk’s canary wasn’t buried after all. Perhaps he flew up into the heavens.
Mister Doctor is a picture book, but with the amount of text on each page, it is more suitable for older children to read on their own. The illustrations are beautifully executed and complement the narrative perfectly. The book is a little pricey, but the quality of materials is exceptional; it is issued in a library binding. Clearly, this is a book to be kept and treasured. It is curious that Mister Doctor is also available as an e-book. I fear an electronic medium would not do justice to the work of art this book is. The title is noteworthy, as it is the same as the first Polish biography, the one written by Hanna Olczak, who knew Korczak and Madame Stefa personally. A two page biography of Janusz Korczak puts the narrative in perspective; that, along with a short bibliography, will help students doing a book report—or a report on Mister Doctor himself, to pass his legend on.
Janusz Korczak was a pediatrician who gave up a potentially lucrative practice to found an orphanage for the children he loved. And the children loved him; the nickname they gave their mentor was “Mister Doctor.” In this book by the same title, his story is told from the perspective of one of the orphans—who could be any of the orphans or all the orphans.
The book opens with the last days in final period of the famous orphanage on Krochmalna Street; the Nazis invaded Warsaw on September 1, 1939, and shortly thereafter ordered the city’s Jewish population into the Warsaw Ghetto. The journey is one fraught with darkness and fear, as shown by the somber illustrations showing barbed wire. They walk past the house of horrors they know as the Black Palace. (I believe the author was referring to the infamous Pawiak Prison; I doubt the children actually passed that landmark, as it was on the opposite side of the Ghetto. However, the episode adds literary value to the narrative.) The horrors of the trek are in marked contrast to the soft, warm hands of Doctor Korczak and illustration of his favorite fairy tale character, Puss in Boots, bounding over a barbed blockade.
Their new home was the best Korczak could find, but “the house of tears” at 33 Chlodna Street is clearly nothing like their beautiful old home; in one illustration, even the houseflies on the window sill are dead. Though flashbacks, the narrator recalls all the Old Doctor’s innovations: the children’s court, their newspaper, the bulletin board, postcards…. In the Ghetto, everyone clings to hope by celebrating their Jewish heritage and identity. Some children learn Hebrew. A professor teaches the children a poem, “Brothers,” by the great local poet, I.L Peretz, which they make into a song: “Light and dark, and in between/ All the colors come together./ We are all sisters and brothers/ From one father and one mother,/ And God created all of us./ The whole world is our nation. / We are all sisters and brothers.”
The most poignant part of the life of Janusz Korczak is the final march, which has been remembered in diaries, poems, movies, and statues. In Mister Doctor, the last walk is portrayed in a beautiful fold-out. But the story does not end there; the Rights of the Child would be taken up by the U.N. and given global stature. Perhaps little Henryk’s canary wasn’t buried after all. Perhaps he flew up into the heavens.
Mister Doctor is a picture book, but with the amount of text on each page, it is more suitable for older children to read on their own. The illustrations are beautifully executed and complement the narrative perfectly. The book is a little pricey, but the quality of materials is exceptional; it is issued in a library binding. Clearly, this is a book to be kept and treasured. It is curious that Mister Doctor is also available as an e-book. I fear an electronic medium would not do justice to the work of art this book is. The title is noteworthy, as it is the same as the first Polish biography, the one written by Hanna Olczak, who knew Korczak and Madame Stefa personally. A two page biography of Janusz Korczak puts the narrative in perspective; that, along with a short bibliography, will help students doing a book report—or a report on Mister Doctor himself, to pass his legend on.
December 1, 2015
A young boy tells the inspiring story of Janusz Korczak who protects several Jewish orphans as they move from their orphanage to the Warsaw ghetto that will be their home until they are transported to a death camp at Treblinka. Somehow, amid those dreary circumstances and the desperate poverty and hunger than assailed these children and their adult caretakers, this courageous man managed to lift up their spirits and give them hope. He puts into practice his ideas about treating children with respect, and many of those ideas have informed the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Although he was a Polish military officer from WWI, he still ends up in prison when he tries to reclaim the potatoes taken from the orphanage, which goes to show how little regard those in authority seemed to have for others like him. Clearly, he deserved much better treatment. Readers' hearts will break when the book's final pages are reached, and they see for themselves the orphans and their caregivers holding hands and heading to the trains that will take them to their final destination. The illustrations capture the joyous and somber moods depicted in the book quite well. This man deserves to be celebrated and honored because of his bravery.
September 1, 2015
Excellent and slightly fictionalized account of Janusz Korczak, a children's doctor who gave up medicine to take care of Jewish orphans in Warsaw, Poland, as well as writing what became classic Polish children's storybooks. His orphans adored him. When the Nazis conquered Poland, the 180 or so children were sent to live in the Warsaw ghetto in crowded conditions and with very little food, but accompanied by Dr. Korczak. When the children were sent to get on the train to the death camp Treblinka, Dr. Korczak again accompanied them although the Germans offered to free him. Neither the children nor Dr. Korczak were ever heard from again.
Interesting (and true) story, wonderful illustrations. Middle school and up. (Amazon rates this book for 4th grade and up but the subject matter is probably better for kids a little older.) Adults, expect questions regarding WW II and Jews, death camps, Nazis, etc.
Interesting (and true) story, wonderful illustrations. Middle school and up. (Amazon rates this book for 4th grade and up but the subject matter is probably better for kids a little older.) Adults, expect questions regarding WW II and Jews, death camps, Nazis, etc.
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