Luba: The Angel of Bergen-Belsen

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Tryszynska-Frederick, Luba. 2003. Luba: The Angel of Bergen-Belsen. As told to Michelle R. McCann. Ill. by Ann Marshall. Berkeley: Tricycle Press.

PLOT SUMMARY:

This biographical picture book is the story of Luba, a prisoner of a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. Having lost her entire family, Luba discovers fifty-four Dutch children who had been left to die in behind the camp. Questioning why her own life had been spared, she now thinks she knows the answer. Putting her own life at risk, Luba takes all of the children and hides them in her bunk house. Every day she begs and barters for extra food to feed her children. At the end of the war, all but two children are alive and able to be reunited with family and relatives.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

From the ashes of the Holocaust this uplifting and hopeful story emerges about the goodness and love that lives inside of all of us. After losing her own child to the Nazi’s and being imprisoned, Luba finds the courage and strength to save more than fifty young Dutch children. Though she did not save them all by herself, she worked hard to keep the children fed and safe. In addition to the Luba’s story, there is a prologue that tells readers about the history of the Holocaust. There is also an epilogue that chronicles Luba’s life after the war and gives an update on Luba and many of the children she saved. More information about World War II and the Holocaust is provided at the end of the book as well as an extensive bibliography. The paintings throughout the book portray both the bleakness of the times and the hope that Luba offered to her children.

AWARDS AND REVIEWS:

School Library Journal:
Gr 2-5-Tryszynska-Frederick discovered a number of abandoned children among her fellow prisoners in Bergen-Belsen. Through her own creativity and strength of will, she managed to keep them fed and safe until the liberation of the camp. Although this is certainly a story that is both important and inspirational, the presentation is lacking. The writing is choppy and lacks transitions at times, and it is often unclear how Luba managed to do what she did. The horror of the camp is significantly downplayed in the text, and the oil-and-collage illustrations, while quite well done, do not reflect the reality of the conditions the people were facing. The children often look entirely too clean, well dressed, and healthy. The audience for the book is unclear. While the writing is simple and accessible for primary-grade children, the subject matter and the front and back matter, which gives readers a context for the story, seem intended for older students. While the basic facts are accurate, the heavy use of dialogue blurs the line between fact and fiction, making the book a problematic piece for most collections. Religious libraries with large collections of Holocaust literature might want to add it because of the important story it tells, but most others can pass.-Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews:
McCann conveys the remarkable heroism of Tryszynska-Frederick, a young Jewish nurse imprisoned in the Nazi concentration camp. Luba's emotional strength, bravery, and determination in the winter of 1944 saved 54 abandoned, starving, and cold Dutch children from their impending death, as she hid them in her barracks for the duration of the war and used her ingenuity and a lot of luck to beg, borrow, and steal food. McCann recounts in lucid narrative prose, with the inclusion of some dialogue, the events and hushed drama as related to her by the real Luba. Well-crafted, this includes a brief introduction and post-script to the Nazi concentration camps and WWII, an epilogue depicting Luba's official Amsterdam recognition with photographs from the liberation of the camp and a 1995 reunion, and a thorough bibliography of books, articles, film, Web sites, personal letters, and interviews. Realistic oil paintings with collage reflect the darkness of the period and the terrifyingly dangerous environment amid the loving concern within the concealed group. One of the beautiful, positive stories that emerged from that awful time, to be remembered and passed on to young and old alike. (author's note, including children's names) (Picture book. 7-12)