Jars of Hope: How One Woman Helped Save 2,500 Children During the Holocaust

Gr 3–6—Roy tells the story of Irena Sendler, a Polish nurse and social worker who saved many Jewish children during World War II. Sendler took the advice her father once gave her to heart ("If you see someone drowning…you must jump in and save them, whether you can swim or not") when she smuggled food, medicine, and supplies to Polish Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto and helped get Jewish children out. Sendler kept meticulous records of each of the 2,500 children she saved. She buried the lists in jars in her friend's backyard in the hope that the children could be reunited with their parents after the war. Though she was arrested and tortured by the Gestapo, she refused to reveal any information. Readers learn from the afterword that Sendler survived the war and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize but that she never considered herself a hero, merely someone doing the right thing. Roy's text is enhanced by the somber, expressive illustrations, created digitally and traditionally drawn. Back matter is included, but readers will need to be familiar with World War II and Holocaust history to fully understand the risks that Sendler took and the profound impact of her actions. Susan Goldman Rubin's Irena Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto (Holiday House) is more detailed and provides more historical context, while Marcia Vaughan's Irena's Jars of Secrets (Lee & Low, both 2011) is another illustrated biography similar in scope and content.