FDL Reads: The Yellow Bird Sings
The Yellow Bird Sings by Jennifer Rosner
Reviewer: Deb Alig, Circulation Assistant
Genre: Historical Fiction
Suggested Age: Adult
What is This Book About? This tragic, but redeeming story takes place during WWII in Poland when Nazi soldiers rounded up Jews in order to kill them. Roza and her five year old daughter Shira are the only people who survive in their family during a Nazi invasion of their home town. To keep her daughter safe, Roza seeks shelter in the hayloft of her neighbor’s barn. For fifteen months, Shira, who is a music prodigy, must remain as silent as possible while hiding in the hay. To help her daughter keep quiet and calm, Roza tells her an enchanting tale about a little girl who lives in a garden and is forbidden from making a sound. But a yellow bird lives in this garden too, and he sings whatever the little girl is composing in her head but cannot proclaim or hum. Hiding in the hay becomes increasingly dangerous, so Roza hesitently decides to send Shira away to a convent where she will be hidden and taken care of by the nuns. While Shira is at the convent her name is changed to Zosia, and she is rasied as a Catholic orphan. It is at the convent where Zosia is given a violin and is taught to play like a virtuoso by Pan Skrzypezak, a teacher who the nuns hire. When she plays, she dreamily remembers a time when her mama played cello, her tata played violin, and her grandfather, who was a luthier, held her and placed her fingers on the strings of a violin. After sending Shira away, Roza sets out on her own to hide in the forest. During this time she experiences such things as exposure, frostbite, starvation, dehydration, lice infestation and gut-wrenching fear. While heading south in the forest, her primary goal is to find Shira.
My Review: Jennifer Rosner’s writing is lyrical, poetic and reads like a song. This writing style compliments the content which centers around music. The yellow bird in the enchanted garden who sings represents Shira’s voice and the music she composes in her head but cannot share out loud. I think the imaginary yellow bird that Shira cups in her hands to help soothe and calm herself symbolizes Shira and all of the other Jewish children who were hidden during the Holocaust in order to survive. Shira whispers to her bird, “I told you, you have to stay still and silent. You have to hide.” She continues, “You are different. I don’t know how, exactly; you just are.” Sometimes Shira’s mother talks about being different, but Shira doesn’t understand what she means. But at the end, when Tzofia (Shira) performs on stage at Carnegie Hall, she is not hiding and she no longer has to be silent for being for being Jewish. She is free to be her beautiful self and to share her magical music with the world.
Rating: 5/5
Three Words That Describe This Book: heart-wrenching, hopeful, enchanting
Give This a Try if You Like: The Book of Last Names by, Kristin Harmel, The Child on Platform One: Inspired by Children who Escaped the Holocaust by, Gill Thompson, Children of the Stars by, Mario Escobar, The Diary of Anne Frank by, Anne Frank
About FDL Reads
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.
Children & Art
If you asked your child what they think art is, what would they say? Would they think of coloring or making things out of paper? If you would like to introduce your child to art, we have books about artists, art history, and many books on fun ways to create art. Some of the Playaway Launchpads even involve art activities! And you don’t even have to leave home; many art museums provide virtual tours and activities now. Explore more or place a hold using the links below.
Creating Art:
Amazing Animal Art by Emily Kington
Scrap Paper Art by Susie Brooks
Art Foam Fun by Hélène Leroux-Hugon
Ralph Masiello’s Bug Drawing Book by Ralph Masiello
Christmas and Hanukkah Origami by Ruth Owen
Learning about Art and Artists:
The Art Book for Children by Amanda Renshaw
The Art of Freedom: How Artists See America by Bob Raczka
Between the Lines: How Ernie Barnes Went from the Football Field to the Art Gallery by Sandra Neil Wallace
Opposites Abstract by Mo Willems
The Usborne Children’s Book of Art by Rosie Dickins
Who was Pablo Picasso? by True Kelley
Playaway Launchpads:
By Sea. By Air. By Road! Around the World
Websites:
Article – The Importance of Art in Child Development
Museums – MetKids-The Metropolitan Museum of Art
National Gallery of Art-Families
by Jackie Laredo, Youth Services Assistant
Bridge to Careers Partnership with ICC
Fondulac District Library is excited to partner with Illinois Central College to host the Bridge to Careers program starting in January 2022 to provide adults with high school equivalency preparation and GED testing, as well as career education and workforce preparation.
Bridge to Careers at FDL will provide participants with free GED materials, guided preparation, and testing for eligible students. Led by ICC instructors, the program will also provide one-on-one transition services training to build crucial skills to become job-ready. Library staff will assist participants with job searching, resume writing, online applications, and career resources to further develop their workforce readiness.
“Partnering with the ICC Adult Education Program allows the library to connect participants to services that can help change their employment prospects,” said Genna Buhr, director of Fondulac District Library. “Bridge to Careers at FDL gives area residents an opportunity to position themselves to develop their long-term earning potential and pursue wider options in the future.”
Phone-in registration begins January 4, 2022, at 9 a.m., with classes starting January 19.. Classes will be held at the library, meeting in the evenings for 3-hour sessions twice a week through May. Interested individuals should call (309) 694-5240 to register or for more information.
Funding for this grant was awarded by the Illinois State Library, a Department of the Office of the Secretary of State, using funds provided by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, under the provisions of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA).
Native American Heritage Month
November is designated as National Native American Heritage Month to pay tribute to the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans. It’s important to recognize the significant contributions the first Americans made to the establishment and growth of the U.S., and to celebrate the value of their diverse people, traditions, and culture. One way to celebrate Native voices is to read some of the brilliant authors that have new books published this year.
Ancestor Approved by Cynthia Leitich Smith
An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States by Kyle T. Mays
Dog Flowers by Danielle Geller
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Girlhood by Melissa Febos
My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
Notable Native People by Adrienne Keene
Rites by Savannah Johnston
Poet Warrior by Joy Harjo
The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson
We Are Still Here by Traci Sorell
We Had a Little Real Estate Problem by Kliph Nesteroff
When Two Feathers Fell from the Sky by Margaret Verble
White Magic by Elissa Washuta
FDL Reads: Never Far Away
Never Far Away by Michael Koryta
Reviewed by: Becky Houghton
Genre: Thriller
Suggested Age: Adult
What is this book about?: What will a mother do to protect her children? This question resonates from the beginning to the end of Koryta’s newest novel. Nina Morgan AKA Leah Trenton left her husband and two young children to protect them from her vindictive employer who blamed Nina for the suicide of his son and sought revenge against her. Her husband and children assumed new identities, moved and all was well for ten years until he was unexpectedly killed in an automobile accident. Leah reenters the children’s lives presenting herself as their aunt, but the former employer has been watching and the hunt is now resumed. Can Leah protect Nick and Hailey – and herself – from those who want to kill her? Who can she find to help her?
My Review: I enjoy books by Michael Koryta. They are well written and absorbing thrillers. This book did not disappoint me. I loved the detail and the sense of danger throughout this story. In some parts there was a bit too much violence for my liking, but Koryta weaves it with intrigue, well-developed characters and nail-biting suspense. This book will keep you guessing until the very end. If you want a book that will keep you reading and on the edge of your seat, give this title a try.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Suspenseful, Frightening, Intriguing
Give This a Try if You Like… Those Who Wished Me Dead by Koryta or books by Lee Child.
My Rating: 5/5
About FDL Reads
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.
Tales from Around the World
Folktales are stories or myths, often with a lesson or message, that are passed on from generation to generation through storytelling. Children can learn about different cultures and traditions through folktales. Here are a few of the great folktales you can find at FDL:
The Magic Orange Tree and Other Haitian Folktales by Diane Wolkstein
A collection of folktales gathered by the author in Haiti with comments on Haitian folklore. From orange trees growing at the command of a child to talking fish, these stories present us with a world of wonder, delight, and mystery.
The Gigantic Turnip by Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy
In this traditional Russian tale, a farmer grows a turnip so big that it takes the combined efforts of him, his wife, six canaries, five geese, four hens, three cats, two pigs, one cow, and, finally, one mouse to pull it from the ground.
The Empty Pot by Demi
When Ping admits that he is the only child in China unable to grow a flower from the seeds distributed by the Emperor, he is rewarded for his honesty.
Coyote Rides the Sun: A Native American Folktale by Amanda St. John
A Native American tale of how the dusty coyote got its coloring, especially its black-tipped tail, and why the coyote is nocturnal.
Once a Mouse by Marcia Brown
When a small mouse’s life is threatened by large jungle predators, a kindly hermit uses magic to change him into a cat, a dog, and a majestic tiger. But the proud tiger must suffer the consequences when he becomes ungrateful and forgets his humble origins.
The Lion Book of Wisdom Stories by David Self
This collection includes fifteen traditional stories drawn from a variety of cultures from all across the globe. Each tale focuses on a different key issue – among them sharing resources, the downfalls of pride, and the nature of true wealth – and offers insight on how they can best be resolved.
– Jackie Laredo, Youth Services Assistant