Monday, February 27, 2012

A Picture Book of Anne Frank by David A. Adler, illustrated by Karen Ritz


It is my turn to host Non-Fiction Monday today, so please simply leave your link in the comments section below and I will update throughout the day.  
Today I have chosen a book by David A. Adler, who is one of my favorite children’s authors and who is an extraordinarily prolific writer.  No only has he written numerous Can Jansen mystery books for young readers, but he has also a number of biographies and Holocaust books.
In his Holocaust books, Adler has always managed to take a frightening subject like the Holocaust and make it accessible to children without trivializing it.  A Picture Book of Anne Frank is an excellent example of his ability.
This biography is meant as an introduction for readers who may be too young to know much about the Holocaust and may not ever know who Anne Frank is.  It covers all the important aspects of Anne’s life, from her birth in Frankfurt am Main, Germany on June 12, 1929 to her death in March 1945 in Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp.  
Interestingly, Adler does not make any one area of Anne’s life more importance than any other area.  Often, writers will stress the diary, hiding in the attic or her personality and even her crush on Peter Van Daan, but here she is presented as a whole person, and these things, while important, are aspects of her life, no one thing is what defines Anne.  I like that as an introductory biography.  
Accompanying the text are illustrations by Karen Ritz.   A Picture Book of Anne Frank was her first picture book assignment and, she writes, the first time the Holocaust was illustrated in picture book form so teachers did not have to resort to historical photographs to teach young children about the horrors of the Holocaust.  For this book, she used watercolor to portray the story, and included graphic pencil drawing to look like photos of Anne’s life, which were based on actual photographs.  
The mixing of Karen’s art mediums and David Adler’s text are an excellent, effective way of writing about Anne’s life in this highly recommendable book.


This book is recommended for readers age 6 and up.
This book was borrowed from the Wakefield Branch of the NYPL.


An activity guide for A Picture Book of Anne Frank is available here.


And be sure to visit David Adler's website for more information about his many books, as well a Karen Ritz's website to see more of her outstanding artwork.


A Picture Book of Anne Frank
David A. Adler, author
Karen Ritz, illustrator
Holiday House 
1993
29 Pages


Be sure to check out these excellent Non-Fiction reviews:


Jeff at NC Teacher Stuff has an iPad App review at http://ncteacherstuff.blogspot.com/2012/02/nonfiction-monday-polar-bear-horizon.html

Natalie is offering a review of Raggin' Jaxxin' Rockin' and an interview at http://bibliolinks.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/raggin-jazzin-rockin/

The Swimmer Writer has a review on A Leaf Can Be,,, at http://theswimmerwriter.blogspot.com/2012/02/wonder-of-leaves.html

Tara has a review at A Teaching Life on two picture books at
 http://tmsteach.blogspot.com/2012/02/nonfiction-monday-and-ya-roundups.html

Lisa at Shelf-employed has a special announcement about Kidlit Celebrates Women's History Month at http://shelf-employed.blogspot.com/2012/02/womens-history-month-blog.html

Peggy at Anatomy of NonFiction also has an interview with the author of A Leaf Can Be... at
http://anatomyofnonfiction.blogspot.com/2012/02/interview-with-laura-purdie-salas.html

At SimplyScience, Shirley has a post on Filling the Earth with Trash at
http://simplyscience.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/filling-the-earth-withtrash/

At the Jean Little Library, Jennifer has a review on Prairie Dong's Hideaway at
http://jeanlittlelibrary.blogspot.com/2012/02/nonfiction-monday-prairie-dogs-hideaway.html

Myra tat Gathering Books has a review of My Hands Sing the Blues at
http://gatheringbooks.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/my-hands-sing-the-blues/

Scope Notes offers a review of Giant Squid at  
http://100scopenotes.com/2012/02/27/nonfiction-monday-giant-squid-by-mary-m-cerullo/

Books4Learning has a review of Multiply on the Fly at http://books4learning.blogspot.com/2012/02/picture-book-math-science-multiple-on_27.html

Today, Laura Thompson has an interview with Cynthia Levinson, author of We've Got a Job: the 1964 Birmingham Children's March at http://lauriethompson.com/2012/02/27/interview-author-cynthia-levinson/

Jeanne at True Tales & A Cherry On Top is featuring Magic Trash - A Storu of Tyree Guyton and his art at http://jeannewalkerharvey.blogspot.com/2012/02/magic-trash.html

Heidi at Geo Librarian is highlighting All the Water in the World at http://geolibrarian.blogspot.com/2012/02/nonfiction-monday-all-water-in-world-by.html.

Amanda at A Patchwork of Books talks about What We Wear: Dressing Up Around the World at
http://apatchworkofbooks.blogspot.com/2012/02/non-fiction-monday-what-we-wear.html

Over at Ms. Yingling Reads you can find reviews on both Little Rock Girl and Quarter Horese Are My Favorite at http://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/2012/01/greenberg-david-t.html

At Apples with Many Seeds Tammy is looking at 13 Art Inventions Children Should Know at
http://applewithmanyseedsdoucette.blogspot.com/2012/02/breaking-ground.html

At Booktalking, there are two books you might like - Underground and Fort Mose and the Story of the Man Who Built the First Free Black Settlement in Colonial America at http://wp.me/pa8jB-1n6

And finally, Nonfiction Book Blast offers What Lies Beneath? Exploring the Subterranean Fury of Plate Tectonics at http://wp.me/p1o4au-eG

Caryl's first non-fiction Monday post is about Candace Fleming's Amelia Lost at http://leaningtowerofbooks.blogspot.com/2012/02/book-8-amelia-lost-life-and.html

Beth at Literary Chicken takes a look at Girl Hero: Claudette Colvin Twice Towards Justice at
http://libraryfrog.blogspot.com/2012/02/girl-hero-claudette-colvin-twice.html

22 comments:

  1. Thank you for hosting today! I have enjoyed using David Adler's books in the classroom. At NC Teacher Stuff, I have posted a review of the iPad app, Polar Bear Horizon:

    http://ncteacherstuff.blogspot.com/2012/02/nonfiction-monday-polar-bear-horizon.html

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for hosting! I've got a a review of Raggin' Jazzin' Rockin' up on BiblioLinks and an interview with author Susan Van Hecke.
    http://bibliolinks.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/raggin-jazzin-rockin/

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for hosting! I have a review of A Leaf Can Be...on my blog
    http://theswimmerwriter.blogspot.com. Author Laura Purdie Salas has a teacher's guide which you can access from my post.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for hosting today! I've posted about two picture books today, one about George Washington and the other about the Christmas cease fire along the Western Front at:
    http://tmsteach.blogspot.com/2012/02/nonfiction-monday-and-ya-roundups.html

    ReplyDelete
  5. Good morning, Alex. My post today is an announcement for the 2nd annual KidLit Celebrates Women's History Month. Thanks for helping to get the word out. http://www.shelf-employed.blogspot.com/2012/02/womens-history-month-blog.html

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for hosting! Today at Anatomy of Nonfiction you can read an interview with Laura Purdie Salas. The author of A LEAF CAN BE, Salas talks about her process, and poetry in nonfiction.
    http://www.anatomyofnonfiction.blogspot.com.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank you for hosting. Today at SimplyScience I have Filling the Earth With Trash by Jeanne Sturm. http://simplyscience.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/filling-the-earth-withtrash/

    Shirley

    ReplyDelete
  8. I have a review of Prairie Dog's Hideaway by Dee Phillips at http://jeanlittlelibrary.blogspot.com/2012/02/nonfiction-monday-prairie-dogs-hideaway.html

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Alex, thanks for hosting this week. I have a review of Jeanne Walker Harvey's My Hands Sing the Blues for Nonfiction Monday today. Here it is: http://gatheringbooks.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/my-hands-sing-the-blues/

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for hosting. At 100 Scope Notes I review Giant Squid by Mary M. Cerullo and Clyde F. E. Roper. http://100scopenotes.com/2012/02/27/nonfiction-monday-giant-squid-by-mary-m-cerullo/

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thank you for hosting. Please add my selection to the list.

    http://books4learning.blogspot.com/2012/02/picture-book-math-science-multiple-on_27.html

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thanks for hosting! This week I have an interview with Cynthia Levinson, author of WE'VE GOT A JOB: THE 1964 BIRMINGHAM CHILDREN'S MARCH.

    http://lauriethompson.com/2012/02/27/interview-author-cynthia-levinson/

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks for hosting today! Trues Tales & A Cherry On Top features Magic Trash - A Story of Tyree Guyton and his art at jeannewalkerharvey.blogspot.com/2012/02/magic-trash.html

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks for hosting today. Geo Librarian highlights All the water in the world by George Ella Lyon at http://geolibrarian.blogspot.com/2012/02/nonfiction-monday-all-water-in-world-by.html.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Over at A Patchwork of Books, I'm talking about What We Wear: Dressing Up Around the World:

    http://apatchworkofbooks.blogspot.com/2012/02/non-fiction-monday-what-we-wear.html

    Thanks for hosting!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Over at A Patchwork of Books, I'm talking about What We Wear: Dressing Up Around the World:

    http://apatchworkofbooks.blogspot.com/2012/02/non-fiction-monday-what-we-wear.html

    ReplyDelete
  17. I have reviews of Little Rock Girl and Quarter Horses Are My Favorite over at http://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/2012/01/greenberg-david-t.html

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thanks for looking after today's event.
    At Apples with Many Seeds I'm looking at 13 Art Inventions Children Should Know by Florian Heine.

    http://applewithmanyseedsdoucette.blogspot.com/2012/02/breaking-ground.html

    Tammy

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thanks for hosting today, Alex! I'm in with Underground by Shane W. Evans and Fort Mose: And the Story of the Man Who Built the First Free Black Settlement in Colonial America by Glennette Tilley Turner http://wp.me/pa8jB-1n6

    ReplyDelete
  20. What Lies Beneath? Exploring the Subterranean Fury of Plate Tectonics by Tom Greve at Nonfiction Book Blast http://wp.me/p1o4au-eG

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thank you for hosting! Anne Frank is one of my heroes, and I will look for this book at my library.

    This is my first Nonfiction Monday! I have a post up about Candace Fleming's Amelia Lost:
    http://leaningtowerofbooks.blogspot.com/2012/02/book-8-amelia-lost-life-and.html
    Such a great book.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I usually post pretty late in the day, so this is my first time signing up. I read Phillip Hoose's Twice Toward Justice at my blog: http://libraryfrog.blogspot.com/2012/02/girl-hero-claudette-colvin-twice.html

    I have a bunch of his books on my TBR list, and I really need to start getting them; I thought he presented the topic in an interesting and lucid way.

    ReplyDelete