The Devil's Advocate would say this relies too much on prior knowledge of the setting and the quandary the characters are facing. Others will say this is galling and most effective. A young Polish girl is told by her single parent mother that she must not only play a game, but live it – and that her Star of David from her father before he died must be replaced by a rosary. She must learn all about a whole other way of thinking, and that thinking is obvious to us adults; it's very blatant that this is a Jewish girl being hidden from the Nazis and smuggled into a gentile life. To children? To children brought up without religion? There are difficulties here, and I think it's a little too obvious this is an adult short story adapted and brought down to the juvenile level. Don't get me wrong, I still see marvellous attributes here, especially in the art (from a lass whose ancestors were Holocaust survivors), and there is emotion aplenty to those who know the context, but without that context I see this as a little flawed. The wealth of end-matter should have been different, and differently-placed, so that from the off the young target audience were seeing precisely what they should from this, without teacherly input. Still, four stars and change is not to be sniffed at. A l'chaim to all involved.

What a heavy but beautiful book. This is about a young girl who must live with nuns, during World War II. There are Nazis and anti-semitic language, so it may be too scary for young children. I did appreciate the children and adult discussion questions.

This was such a heartbreakingly beautiful book about a mothers love for her daughter! Tough choices were made throughout this book but I enjoyed every minute of it. Will definitely recommend to the elementary school to buy for their library.

This is a look into what some had to do to survive during the Holocaust. In this instance this girl was told to be Catholic instead of Jewish to be able to survive. Such a sad and dark time. The illustrations really portray that.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

A touching and heartfelt story that depicts the savagery of war and who are the most vulnerable. It anchors on trust, belief, and love. It was a beautiful, sad tale with hidden truths. Although this story touches the heart, your kids would enjoy reading about this brave little girl.

The Necklace

An interesting storybook which is a beginning teaching tool for the history of the holocaust. It is a beautiful picture book for young children or for any age. Very well written without violence but with compassion and understanding.

A young Jewish girl is asked by her mother to give up the necklace which is a Star of David that her father gave her before he died for a band of crystal beads. Her mother says she must learn the meaning of the beads which she calls a Rosary. She must learn the prayers and proper Catholic symbols.

Her mother knows the Nazi's are coming and wants to prepare her daughter to live. She teaches her about the Rosary and then takes her to the nuns where she will go to school and learn to be a good catholic girl that he might live. At first her mother comes to visit, but then she doesn't.

It tells the story well in a way that will not frighten the child reading it, but will tell them the story of the persecution of the Jewish during the Nazi occupation and the holocaust.

At the end of the book there are discussion questions for teachers and/or parents to use. There are also two study guides. One for children, parent and teachers and one for adults in small groups such as book clubs, places of worship and other small groups. The study guides include themes of compassion, empathy, and diversity.

I think this is a wonderful first teaching book for young children to teach them to be kind to others and include everyone even if they are different. I recommend this book.

Thanks to Pat Black-Gould for writing such a beautiful book, to Purple Butterfly Press for publishing it, and to NetGalley for making it available to me.

such an impactful and wonderful read— this picture book perfectly depicts the mood of the story with the art. the plotline is heartwarming and sad all at once. it covers alot about the holocaust so this book is very important for people to read.

thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is an extremely poignant book which would be a fantastic resource for children learning about the Holocaust and the persecution of the Jews.
The beautiful illustration reflects the mood on each page. I noticed in darker moments a lot more blacks and greys are used, which I find to be extremely effective,
As well as the story, there is a piece on a school in Tennessee who came up with an idea to commemorate the Jews which is heartwarming. There are also some first hand accounts of the Holocaust which I feel are extremely important given the context of the book.

What a heartbreaking and beautiful story of one mother's love! There are as many different Holocaust stories as there were victims and survivors, but this is a less-often told tale of one mother hiding her daughter in an abbey - teaching her about Catholicism as a way to save her life. It, of course, comes to be the very thing that saves her, but the question remains unanswered to the child -- if they both respond to a higher power, which of them is the evil one? This is a powerful read, and one that will spark discussions.

Thank you, Purple Butterfly Press, for the advance reading copy.

This book is so precious to me!
Based on a true story of a holocaust survivor, the book does justice with the presentation and the subtle amazing illustrations.

It's the story of a little girl whose mother had to take the best measures to save her little daughter. And it's heartbreaking.

You just have to read this book. It will tell you how mothers have to do everything in order to keep their children safe and sound even though they have to sacrifice themselves.

I am still crying ...