Violin of Hope

by Ella Schwartz, Juliana Oakley (Illustrator)

Overview

Based on the true story of luthiers who repair Holocaust-era violins.

Papa plays beautiful music on the violin, sometimes quick and lively and sometimes slow and sorrowful. But one night, there is a pounding on the door and a Nazi soldier snatches the violin away. The violin is silent for years until a luthier finds it and says, "I can fix you." Then a man comes to the shop and buys the violin for his son. In the boy's hands, the violin feels familiar, like a melody remembered from long ago.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798765631775
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/05/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 9 Years

About the Author

Ella Schwartz is the award-winning author of several books for children. She is also the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors and works to promote Holocaust awareness and education. Ella lives on Long Island, New York, with her husband and three sons. Visit Ella on her website, www.ellasbooks.com.

Juliana Oakley is an illustrator based in Bahrain who loves to work with color. She draws inspiration from her family, from travels, from nature, and childhood memories. Her illustrations often start from pencil sketches and are then finished digitally.

Editorial Reviews

"A very touching story of light overcoming darkness, made even more powerful by the fact that it is based in truth. Reviewer Rating: 5" —Children's Literature

From the Publisher

2024-08-03
A beloved violin is lost and found.

The lives of Papa, Mama, Itzak, and Feiga are filled with love and celebration of their Jewish traditions. Papa is an accomplished musician whose beautiful violin has a place of honor in their home. When he plays “quick and lively” songs, the children dance with joy. When Papa’s music turns “slow and sorrowful,” it invites quiet contemplation. Itzak attempts to play the instrument, with ear-bashing results, but Papa assures him that that he’ll improve with practice. Then everything changes. One Shabbos night, soldiers show up and take the violin. It ends up in a cellar, languishing with other looted items “in silence” for many years until it’s rescued by a luthier who lovingly restores it to its former glory. The luthier passes the violin on to a young boy named Isaac, whose father recalls his grandfather’s violin skill. Isaac’s first attempt exactly matches Itzak’s initial screeches, the luthier echoes Itzak’s father’s encouraging phrases and sentiments, and Isaac’s tunes are, by turns, “quick and lively” and “slow and sorrowful.” As a master violinist, in concert halls around world, he plays music of hope. The book doesn’t explicitly mention Nazis or the Holocaust until the author’s note, and the family’s fate is left unspoken. But the striking, detailed, multi-perspective illustrations contain hints for sharp-eyed readers as the author brings this sorrowful yet optimistic tale full circle. The main characters are tan-skinned; background characters are diverse.

Tender, moving, and hopeful. (photographs, website)(Picture book. 6-11)

Kirkus Reviews