The Lily Cupboard: A Moving Picture Book for Kids (Ages 4-8) About a Jewish Girl in Hiding During WWII Holland

by Shulamith Levey Oppenheim, Ronald Himler (Illustrator)

Miriam, a young Jewish girl, is forced to leave her parents and hide with strangers in the country during the German occupation of Holland.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Holocaust, Picture Books, Fiction, Family, War, Love

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Shulamith Levey Oppenheim is a published author of many Children's Books. Some of her writtings are Lily Cupboard, Hundredth Name, I Love You, Bunny Rabbit & Fish Prince and Other Stories: Mermen Folk Tales among many others.

Reviews

[Cynthia]

I understand the writer want to spread the idea about the kindness for those families would willing to provide the protection for the Jewish kids when that time was hard. But there is one single plot I feel not very comfortable. that the girl not willing to hide when the soldiers were closing by.even though she lost the rabbit. But does she consider how dangerous situation it would put herself in ? What if the rabbit was hopping away and what if the rabbits got scared from the out voice from the soldiers ?only a bit of clutter . What she do will put this family in disaster .

[Kayla]

This would be an appropriate book to read aloud in the upper grade levels when talking about the Holocaust. It reveals just enough information to talk about the subject without revealing too much violence.

[Frankie K]

This book was good, because it showed how some families will always be good, as long as they know they're doing the right thing. I recommend it, if you're interested in times where Jews weren't welcome by all.

[Valerie]

This book is a part of our Reading Fiction Unit. This lesson focus is theme and it is an easy text to identify multiple themes from. Students enjoyed this quick story and got in more theme practice while reading it.

[Brianna B]

It was more of a little kid book, but other than that, it set good example of what kids had to do when they had to hide from the Nazis.

[Emma Lipscomb]

This was a very good war world 2. The description was very good.

[Susan Morris]

Good historical fiction on the holocaust, in a way that is not too intense for young readers. (Library)

[Kayla S]

i liked how miram hid in the lily cupboard when the soldiers came

[Lauren Phelps]

Historical fiction story about the Holocaust and a Dutch family that hid a Jewish child in their cupboard.

[Hanna McMenamin]

ok

[Beverlee Jobrack]

Heartbreaking.

[Nancy Palmer]

Excellent story.

[Patrica]

This is a story about a young girl named Miriam, who is sent by her parents, to live with another family so she could be safe during World War II. She is taken in by a woman and a man that have a young son named Nello. The woman treats Miriam kindly as if she were her own daughter. Miriam finds herself very say, confused and missing her parents a lot. Nello and Miriam become great friends and even allows Miriam to keep one of the family's rabbits.

Miriam was given strict instructions to hide in the cupboard if the soldiers came. When they arrived to the families house Nello and his father informed Miriam but she refused to go without her rabbit. They boy found the rabbit and his parents got the children in the cupboard safe and sound before the soldiers arrived. The story ended, with the family happy that they were all together and safe.

Response:This story was beautiful story of a brave family that risked their lives to save another. Although It is about a very sad time in history this story was inspiring by all the lives that were saved from courageous families. The illustrations were very different than anything I had ever seen before but I really liked them.
Concept:I really liked how kind and courageous the other family was to the young girl. For a children's book this story was really informative. The emotions and feelings of the characters pulled the reader in and made you feel what they felt.

Classroom connection:This story would make a good classroom connection because of how informative it is. This story is a great way to teach your students about the holocaust. Also to discuss the topic of World war II and the huge impact it had on the entire world.

CCSS Range:According to lexile.com The Lily cupboard is a 420L. I believe this book would be a great read-a-loud to a third grade class. By the fourth grade students should be able to read this book independently.

[Julie Suzanne]

This story does touch on the concept of being in hiding, as the protagonist is a Jewish "hidden child", separated from her family to live with gentiles for safety. It never does tell you what happens to her parents or if they ever reunite, and the symbolism is a bit confused.

The child refuses to go into the lily cupboard to hide without her rabbit, who she insists must stay with her. She compares her heroic act, almost completely foiling the plan for the sake of the rabbit, to her parents' heroic act of keeping HER safe with this family. But, her parents DIDN'T keep her with them, so the symbolism is all skewed.

The actual act of being hidden in the cupboard with the Nazis visiting the family was so brief and under-characterized that I ended up reading this story without emotion.

I don't really recommend this for a holocaust study, unless the audience is like 6 years old.

[M.cholewick]

The Lily Cupboard takes place during World War II in Holland. This historical fiction picture book is about a little girl named Miriam, who is sent away on a farm to stay with a non-Jewish family, so that she is kept safe during the German occupation of Holland. The illustrations compliment the text well. Also, the illustrations have a soft and warm color sequence, as if they are painted with watercolors. I would suggest teachers use this book for young readers as a means to teach about the brave and kind families that took in Jewish children during this war. Although the story touches upon fear and separation, it does not provide substantial narration of the home inspections of the Nazi soldiers. Perhaps this is done purposefully, though, given that the audience is very young, and the focus in not the detailed actions of the soldiers, but that of the family keeping Miriam safe.

[Elizabeth Moser]

This book was a story about a family in Poland taking in a Jewish family's little girl. In light of our discussion of critical literacy in class, It was interesting to notice the agency in this book. For example, in the opening pages, it's said that Germans occupied Poland, many Jews were placed in concentration camps where they died awful deaths. However, it didn't explicitly say it was the Nazi's that killed the Jews and that they didn't just die. The focus of the story was on the kindness of the family that took the daughter, Miriam, in. The last page connects the story to real families who hid Jews and risked their own lives in the process. It's important to include texts that show the other sides of the Holocaust as well, but I did enjoy this story.

[Shannon Janik]

“The Lily Cupboard” is a historical fiction picture book written by Shulamith Oppenheim and illustrated by Ronald Himler. I really enjoyed this book because while I do believe math and science are very important subjects, I think history and learning about the past is just as important. World War II had a huge impact on the entire world and although it took place many years ago it is still so important to educate children about the past. “The Lily Cupboard” tells the inspirational story of the ordinary people that became heroes during this war. Regular everyday people stepped up to take people in so they would not be found and killed by the Nazis. This book is beautifully written and a great story to tell children.

[Linda Lipko]

I recommend this small book to those who want to teach their children or grandchildren about the holocaust.

Told it simple text with beautiful illustrations, this is a story of the beauty of the Dutch resistance and how many lives were saved because of their moral courage and bravery. Miriam must leave her father and mother to hide in the country where it is hoped she will be safe.

She is hidden by a woman and man who have a young son, thus their assistance places their own family in danger. Lily is instructed that when someone whistles Frere Jacques, she must run to a hidden paneled wall in the secret cupboard.

[Sandybear76]

a good story. The little girl must go live the country with a farming family so she can be safe during the World War Two. the little girl misses her own family very much. Her own Papa and Mother feel the little girl will be safer out of the city becasue they are Jewish. the ending of the story is good but did the little girl make it back to her own parents?

[Margaret Cobb]

I thought this book would be well suited in a Holocaust unit to show another side of this tragic era. The brave and courageous family who took Miriam under their care shows that there were many helpful families during the time. In addition, it shows the love that Miriam's family had for her to send her to another family during the war.

[Marcia]

Young Miriam is sent to live with another family as the Nazis occupy Holland. A simple story, it opens a discussion of the Holocaust for children. The emphasis is on the love of the parents who cared enough to send their child to safety, and the family that hid her during the occupation. A good supplement to the many great novels written on the Holocaust.

[Shawna]

"The Lily Cupboard" is a book about a young finding freedom during the Holocaust. Her parents send her to a home so she can be safe. There she meets a nice family and builds a friendship with them. WHile she still misses her parents, she understands that because they love her so much thay sent her somewhere to be safe. This book would also be good for doing a lesson on freedom.

[Courtney]

This book is about a young girl who had to leave her parents because of World War II and the troubles it had brought to Germany. She finds comfort in a rabbit that helps her get through the difficult time. This book would be good for teaching children the basics of what happened in Germany during World War II. The pictures were not that great, but the story line was interesting.

[Chandra Fleenor]

I chose to read this book because it was about the Holocaust. This book is for older kids, I would say children in fifth grade or above. I would maybe go as low as third grade but this is a very specific topic. I wouldn't read this to a class that hasn't learned about the Holocaust because some of the things in the book wouldn't be understood unless they had learned about it.

[Sandy Brehl]

A timeless story that is believably specific but reflects the universality of lives uprooted and assaulted by the genocide carried out in Nazi Germany during WWII. It makes a nearly unimaginable concept real through the specific character, relationship, and setting development.

[Carole]

Heart-warming story about gentiles hiding Jewish children from the Nazis at risk of their own lives.

[Kim]

Read aloud as background knowledge for Number the Stars. Very good.

[Cheyenne]

This is a great book about a family that helped hide a Jewish child.

[Miriam]

Genocide Unit: Holocaust (hidden child)

[Josiahb]

it was good