This is an emotional story about a Holocaust survivor, told in a way that it could be read by children. I think the story is pretty well done and on a topic that is interesting to young historical fiction readers. I know that Holocaust education is an important part of many social studies curricula and that teachers are often looking for books like this one to help bring the past alive for younger readers.

This children's picture book is adapted from the short story 'The Crystal Beads' that was published in 2020 on the website Jewish Fiction and can still be read there: https://jewishfiction.net/index.php/publisher/articleview/frmArticleID/643
It's loosely based on a true story during WW II.

Poland, 1939.
A little girl doesn't want to give up her most precious possession: a Star of David necklace, given to her by her late father.
However, her mother knows what consequences this could have and she 'plays a game' with her daughter during which she trades it for a rosary.
When the Nazis invade the country the mother will make a terrible sacrifice.

After the author published the story online, she felt it was important to bring this story to a younger audience.
So she rewrote it as a children's book which is now published by Purple Butterfly Press.

To a certain point, it's good to make children aware that life isn't all rainbows and butterflies.
Though the question is: at what age do you present information like the one in here and especially in which manner do you do this?
Personally I think this book has a (too) dark overall atmosphere and therefore this heartbreaking story seems more suited for older children. Because not all younger children might be mature enough to give it a place.

Which leads us to the accompanying drawings.
Are older children still attracted by a picture book or do they find it too childish?
But then again, there's no age on liking picture books.
The illustrations in this book didn't particularly resonate with me, but there's no accounting for taste.
However, the use of the colour palette is really well done: cheerful hues for better times and darker tones to express sadness or anger.

All in all this was an interesting take on a less known part of history, but I'm not sure it'll appeal to the target group.
In my humble opinion it's recommended to read this supervised by an adult who can frame the information and answer questions.
At the end of the book there are 'study guide questions' both for children and adults. These form an asset for school teachers or parents who wish to look further into this subject.

Author Patricia Black-Gould was born and raised in New Jersey. She has a diverse background that includes a career as a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology where she has published in the field of mental health and cultural Deafness. In the arts, she has worked as a theater director, producer, and playwright. She is a member of the National League of American Pen Women.

The illustrations were made by Katya Royz, whose Ukrainian Jewish grandfather is a Holocaust survivor who fled to Siberia.
Since 2017 Ekaterina Royz has lived in Israel where she illustrates and collaborates on educational projects on a wide variety of subjects, including the Holocaust.


*Thanks to NetGalley and Purple Butterfly Press for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Crystal Beads, Lalka’s Journey by Patricia Black-Gould was a beautiful yet very sad story about the destiny of one young Jewish girl during the Holocaust. One mother was determined to help her child survive the atrocities of the Nazis. This particular mother asked her daughter to exchange her beloved Star of David necklace her father had given her when she turned five years old for some crystal beads. The Star of David necklace was the young girl’s most precious possession. The young girl always wore it and never removed it from around her neck. Her mother convinced her though to let her keep it for her while she wore this new necklace with the cross. The young girl was taught how to become Catholic. Eventually, her mother brought her daughter to the Catholic Church where she would continue to learn about Catholicism, go to school there and live there. Leaving her daughter was the hardest thing the mother had ever done. The mother visited when she could but then weeks went by with no visits. The little girl survived the Holocaust but the mother perished.

The story of The Crystal Beads, Lalka’s Journey stood as the catalyst to a very innovative way to teach children about The Holocaust. In order to understand the magnitude of the number of the six million Jewish people that perished in the Holocaust the students decided to collect paper clips. They collected six million paper clips but then continued to collect even more to represent the others that died in the Holocaust. Paper clips were worn by the people of Norway to remember the Jewish people and they were invented by a Jewish man from Norway. The children were gifted a cattle car used by the Nazis to transport the Jews to the Concentration camps. They chose to display the paper clips in glass containers in the cattle car train. This project was so meaningful and has been kept going.

The Crystal Beads, Lalka’s Journey was a short yet powerful story about sacrifice and survival. It is a story that should be read by all.
Thank you to Purple Butterfly Press for allowing me to read The Crystal Beads through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I highly recommend this book for all to read.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Great and important book for kid. I have never read a story like this before, though i did hear of similar stories this was a great book for kids. would buy.

It was a privilege to read this book. I believe that every school and all libraries should have this work available. Lalka's journey is a great way for children to get introduced to the holocaust. The extra material found at the and is a plus, the questions presented are really good. Oh and the illustrations made the experience even better. I definitely recommend this title.

The Crystal Beads is a beautifully poignant story about the separation of families during the holocaust and the way children were hidden. It's full of compassion, bravery and the reality of what these families suffered.

The story, which focuses on one young girls plight of being separated from her parents at the start of the war, is told in a very thoughtful and child friendly way, but still teaches about some of the consequences of the Holocaust. The pictures are light and sympathetic, and the sepia/grey tones fit well with the story.

The author has added questions at the back for teachers and caregivers to use with children, and also a set of questions for adults to contemplate. I think these were brilliant to include and it extends your thought processes surrounding not only the story but the events behind it.

Finally, I like the way the author doesn't name the young girl, as it really does have an impact on the fact that this could be any of the thousands of children that were affected in this way. A book like this is needed as a reminder of what was lost, and that we should never allow things to go down that road again, even more fitting is today's climate. The events must never be forgotten.

Thank you to Netgalley and Purple Butterfly Press for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Book received for free through NetGalley

Heart wrenching but written and illustrated so well. Perfect book to use to help illustrate what happened.

It’s 1939 in Poland and Lalka is asked by her mother to play a ‘special game’; to hide her Star of David and to begin learning about Christianity with her new rosary beads. What follows is a harrowing story that is based partially on a true story. As the Nazis invade their beautiful country, Lalka’s mother is forced to make a heartbreaking sacrifice. Even though we see the events unfold through Lalka’s innocent perspective, it doesn’t diminish the impact of the cruelties the Nazis inflicted upon the world.
The book comes with study guides, one for children and one for adults.

Maybe bad timing?
I hate to provide the lone poor review but here goes. I am a retired clinical psychologist and I worked with children for over 25 years. I regularly used carefully selected books to introduce issues for discussion but do we really need a holocaust story for children? Kids don't have enough on their plates already? It is marketed as a book for all ages but it is too simplistic for teens or adults.
Other reviewers have found nothing objectionable or scary in The Crystal Beads but at one point the little girl is being interrogated at the monastery in private by Nazi agents who repeatedly shout at her, "Jew! Jew! Jew!" Nightmares anyone?
I know that children inevitably lose their innocence and learn all about the brutality of the world but I am in favor of letting them stay children for a bit longer.
Two study guides are included, one for children, parents, and teachers and one for adults.

Thank you to Purple Butterfly Press and Netgalley for a complimentary drc.

This book was heavy and entirely important. This is an illustrated children’s book about an unnamed child who has to convert from Judaism to Catholicism in order to survive the Nazis. It includes a very traumatic scene.

Stories like these are so incredibly necessary, especially for children, to teach them compassion, kindness and also to ensure the events of the holocaust are NEVER repeated. I love that the author included messages from holocaust survivors at the end, it’s always good to hear real-life experiences, especially on such heavy topics.

TWs/CWs: Death (parental, past, present); Catholicism; Nazis; Antisemitism; Genocide; Holocaust

Educational story about Judaism during the Holocaust. Very sad, but this is a strong educational tool to teach young readers about that dark period in history.

P.S. Be sure to read the Afterword at the end of the book. It's a tearjerker.

This was a really enlightening picture book covering a story (based on true events) of a young Jewish girl whose mother sends her to a Catholic school to try and protect her during the Second World War. I'd never heard of this happening so found the book really interesting and educational, with some beautiful full pages illustrations that moved the story along and highlighted what was happening well. I will say that I was expecting this to be a bit more child friendly in terms of language etc, the picture book format was almost in conflict with the actual story a little bit. I read this with my five year old brother who I don't think got much out of it, as there were some really long blocks of text that were actually quite complex. So whilst I personally got a lot from this book and would recommend it, bear in mind it seems to be geared towards older children.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced ebook copy of this title!

'The Crystal Beads, Lalka's Story' follows a young Jewish girl in 1939 Poland who is hidden by her mother at a convent. The story is, naturally heartbreaking, but appropriately uplifting as a children's book on this topic should be. I really loved the artwork. The use of color enhanced the story. The writing was nice - not bad but not especially engaging. My only real issue is I'm not really sure who the audience is. Younger elementary would either not be ready for the story, miss some nuance, or just be sad that a little girl was left by her mother. And, the writing is a bit too young for middle school. Then there is older elementary 9-10 but I'm not sure they would enjoy a picture book. However, if I had to pick the reader sweet spot I would say 3rd-4th.

WHO SHOULD READ IT: It: Parents/ Teachers should use it as a read aloud for ages 7-9. This would make an excellent addition to a homeschool unit study on WWII.

Thank you @Netgalley and @ibpalovesindies for early access to this ARC in return for an unbiased and voluntary review

This is a very poignant and heart-wrenching tale of a young Jewish girl's survival during the Holocaust. Caught between her own Jewish faith and her learned Christian faith, Lalka must save herself from a terrible fate. Young readers will be moved by Lalka's story and will deepen their understanding of the lives of Jewish children during the Holocaust.

If you want a good historical story, one that tells the truth and makes you cry you need to read this book. This follows a little girl and her mom who takeoff their stars of David and learn a new game with the rosary. And while it’s always treated as a game it is actually a device to save lives. This little girl was hidden in a convent with other children so that way she could survive the Holocaust. It sucks that the story has to exist however it’s an important story, one that needs to be shared. At the end of the book there is the usual stuff discussion questions etc. Also included is a story about a school in Tennessee that was trying to visualize 6 million deaths by collecting paper clips. Tt became a large project and it’s now an actual historical site with stories from real survivors of the Holocaust. This book is fantastic but I hate that it has to exist.

A compassionate and realistic view in which a mother discovers how to keep her daughter safe in treacherous and deadly 1939 Poland.

Lalka’s mother makes the choice to teach her seven-year-old daughter about Catholicism. It is not an easy choice to make. Before Lalka’s father died and left the two of them, he gave his daughter a Star of David—something she wore all the time—her treasure, his last gift to her.

Her mother, however, begins gently by playing a “game” with her daughter in which she exchanges the Star of David with a new necklace—that of crystal beads, a rosary. She then builds on that with prayers and songs, preparing her for the journey to a convent where the nuns will care for her and continue her education.

Lalka is left at the convent in a heartbreaking goodbye. Her mother promises to visit, and does for a while. When Sister Teresa calls Lalka to the office, Lalka is sure her mother is back but is greeted by two men who believe Lalka is a Jew. Lalka follows the instructions her mother gave her and is saved from being taken away.

The story is written for children between the ages of 5-12 years. It is attractively illustrated with soft pastel colors and drawings that help a child to see and understand the circumstances and the wisdom given Lalka to survive. It’s a short and touching story of the Holocaust—a teachable moment—and unfortunately one that must continue. 4.5 stars

I feel like I don’t have the right words to describe this beautifully moving book. A young Jewish girl hides from Nazis in a Catholic convent but doesn’t know that is her purpose. Her mom tells her it is a game. The detail and child’s perspective throughout the story is amazing. I especially appreciated the information in the back of the book with many resources and stories. I want this book for my personal library and in my classroom.

The Crystal Beads, Lalka's Journey by Pat Black-Gould is a children's book that simply tells the story of a Jewish girl whose mother takes her to stay in a convent to keep her safe. Lalka learns to say the rosary and to think like a Catholic so that when the Nazis come to question her, she will not sound like a Jew. The purpose of this book is to educate children about the Holocaust by telling one child's story.

I enjoyed this story, but it felt more like an illustrated short story than a book intended for children. It's not the content so much as the length and how it's delivered in paragraphs of text and conversation and limited exposition. In my experience, longer picture books tend to lose children's attention. If they're old enough to sit for that long, then they're probably ready for easy readers.

I feel like more could have been done to collaborate with the artist, and the author could have then boiled the story down to its essentials.

"I've got a special present for you," *the illustration with the cake with seven candles would work*

"Isn't this necklace pretty?" *beads held up to the window, rainbow reflections on the wall as a cross dangles from the end.* "Let's put it on."

"But I'm already wearing my special necklace from papa!" *girl touches the Star of David. Background a picture of a man with maybe a rose or some sort of flower laid in front of it.*

"It IS really special, isn't it? That's why I want you to wear this one instead of your papa's necklace, it's not...safe, otherwise. I'll keep it for now, to make sure nothing happens to it, and I'll let you hold it sometimes when we're alone, ok?"

"...ok." *girl looks reluctant, but hands it over. Mama holds it to her chest for a moment.*

*forced smile, Star of David put away, maybe the chain dangling from a pocket.* "This new necklace has a special story, one we're going to learn together..."

This is just the first part, but it cuts down...paragraphs and paragraphs of text while still getting the story across. Artistically you could start including the text of the prayers in the background as almost a visual hum, starting in smaller letters and getting larger as she's having to learn more and more until the confrontation with the Nazi officers and she starts speaking the prayer aloud.

This is perhaps being too nitpicky, but someone responsible for story-times and who loves picture books, I just can't see myself reading this to kids. As an illustrated short story, yes, as a picture book, probably not.

This is an amazing book. It seems to be just a story about surviving in World War II. But it's told in a breathtakingly and deceptively way. You feel the girl's innocence and trust in the nun. But the end just made me gasp. Everyone should read this book.