The Children We Remember

The Children We Remember

Juvenile nonfiction
On the back of Chana Byers Abells' The Children We Remember Elie
Wiesel is quoted as saying, "Look at these children. Look at their
faces. They will break your hearts." He's got that right.
The pictures, gleaned from the Jerusalem Yad Vachem Archives,
are the focus of the book. Most pages contain between three and seven
words. We learn that once the children went to school and played like
our own. Then the Nazis came. The children lost their schools and
homes. Many endured cold and hunger. Many were killed. Some
fortunately were able to survive and raise their own families.
I think every school, every house of worship, every library
should have a copy of this book so that we will never forget what can
happen when we totally make a scapegoat group the dreaded and hated
other.
On a personal note, as I look out the window, the ice encased trees
look like crystal chandeliers. Pretty but ominous. I surely hope
more people don't lose power tonight, Christmas Eve, when temperatures
are expected to plummet, shattering more tree limbs. That is a scary
sound. Just like a gun shot.
A great big shout out goes out to the power company people putting in
overtime to restore electricity.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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