REVIEWS


Given present world conditions, students are coming to school with questions and wanting to do something to help those living through war. Many of our students themselves have been through war or in refugee camps. As teachers, we are often looking for age-appro- priate resources that allow us to address this subject in a sensitive way and to create a safe and inclusive classroom. Child Soldier is a great resource to address


CHILD SOLDIER Jessica Dee Humphreys and Michel Chikwanine illustrated by Claudia Davila Kids Can Press, 2015 48 pages, $18.95 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Reviewed by Sukayna Dewji


this issue. It recounts Michel’s experience as a five-year-old boy in the Democratic Republic of Congo who is one day taken away by rebel soldiers and forced to become a child soldier. Michel miraculously escapes back home to his family, to see his father, a human rights activ- ist, kidnapped and hurt before being provid- ed refuge in Uganda. His family continues to show resistance and support each other. Mi- chel, his younger sister and mother manage to safely arrive in Canada, where Michel works hard to fulfill his father’s dream of uniting his family. It’s a story of resilience and courage sharing Michel’s experiences and his efforts to educate and support others while living his new life in Canada.


The Holocaust is a narrative of unparalleled darkness in mankind’s tangled history. Its survivors – the first-hand witnesses of WWII Nazi concentration camps like Auschwitz- Birkenau – now number fewer than 350,000 and are approaching end of life. What will be- come of their stories when they can no longer share them? Witness: Passing the Torch of Holocaust


WITNESS: PASSING THE TORCH OF HOLOCAUST MEMORY TO NEW GENERATIONS Compiled by Eli Rubenstein, with the March of the Living Second Story Press, 2015. 136 pages, $32.95


♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Reviewed by Stephanie Reisler


Memory to New Generations answers this question in an interactive, 136-page picture book to mark the 25th anniversary of the March of the Living. This educational pro- gram unites high school and post-secondary students worldwide with Holocaust survivors in Europe to bear witness to the Nazi geno- cide. In doing so it inspires future generations to resist prejudice, oppression and hatred. The book blends survivors’ stories with the reac- tions of people of various faiths and walks of life who, as a result, have “fiercely committed themselves to changing the world in which we live.” Here, the survivors’ oral storytelling – a hallmark experience of mankind – takes its healing power to a new generation. Students become “witnesses for the witnesses,” part of history themselves through shared experience.


Being a graphic novel, this book both cap-


tures students’ interest and is accessible to readers at a variety of levels. This makes the book useful for students who may themselves be new arrivals and have limited English. It would make an excellent read- aloud or book study to complement any junior/intermediate/ senior classroom. It would also be an excellent book in an ESL/ELD classroom. The back of the book shares further infor-


mation and websites about child soldiers and has ideas on how to support those who have experienced war. This book is timely given the present condi-


tions and the numbers of new arrivals expected in Canada. Child Soldier has a hopeful ending – we can all make a difference. Michel shares a powerful quote from his father: “If you ever think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a room with a mosquito.” This book is sure to create great discus-


sions, empathy and hope and move students towards working together for social justice. An excellent read!


Sukayna Dewji is a member of the Elementary Teachers of Toronto.


With its many primary source artifacts,


Witness is a great starting point for inter- mediate-level inquiry-based learning and a superb addition to school libraries. Text wo- ven throughout six chapters provides a well- rounded summary of Holocaust events, such as What Happened? And to Whom? Where Did it Take Place and Who Let It Happen? And Who Resisted? And How? Readers can also use a free Digimarc Discover smartphone app to view exclusive survivor video from the archives of the USC Shoah Foundation and the March of the Living. One might expect, given the unfathomable


depravity of the Holocaust, an undertone of bitterness or even hatred in this text. Yet it is the absence of these sentiments that renders the book so powerful. The contemporary and archival photographs, poems and personal statements all underscore a central point: the power of mankind to respond, resist and re- unite as one.


Stephanie Reisler is a member of the Elementary Teachers of Toronto.


ELEMENTARY TEACHERS’ FEDERATION OF ONTARIO 45


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