Oskar and the Eight Blessings

A touching narrative and atmospheric artwork combine for an ultimately hopeful holiday story. Oskar, who has traveled on his own from Europe after the Night of Broken Glass, arrives at the southern tip of Manhattan with nothing but a photograph and address of a relative he doesn't know. During his long, cold walk uptown, Oskar encounters kind and generous strangers (one merchant gives him a Superman comic-"Keep it, kid. Merry Christmas."-and a boy gives Oskar his mittens). Readers will be affected by how the brief but meaningful interactions affirm Oskar's father's belief in the goodness of people, and by Aunt Esther and Oskar's eventual meeting. Mark Siegel's illustrations offer a strong sense of place and time period. Done mostly in graphic novel-esque panels and boxes, the images also serve as snapshots of a sort, documenting Oskar's journey. In many scenes, Oskar is pictured in wide-eyed wonder, taking in new sounds and sights. The back matter enriches the story. In his author's note, Richard Simon adds context and detail about Kristallnacht and the family story that provided inspiration for the book; and he explains Count Basie's and Eleanor Roosevelt's cameos. The closing spread, an illustrated map that tracks Oskar's trek from Battery Park to 103rd Street, shows details of Manhattan as well as the locations where each of Oskar's blessings occurred. Though the story takes place more than seventy-five years ago, it is relevant to the experience of refugees today, who, like Oskar, face unspeakable hardship before relocating to other nations.

In 1938, the last night of Hanukkah coincided with Christmas Eve, and for a young Jewish refugee in Manhattan, both holidays provided blessings. Following Kristallnacht, Oskar's parents had put him on a boat to New York with just the name and address of his aunt; his walk from the harbor takes him more than a hundred blocks up Broadway. Along the way he encounters friendly and helpful strangers, Macy's Christmas windows, and Count Basie and Eleanor Roosevelt (whose historical presence in the city that night is confirmed in an author's note). The changing light of the day and developing snow are beautifully conveyed in the illustrations, an engaging blend of large and small panels paced to echo the starts and stops and blessings of Oskar's (successful) journey. An appended map of Manhattan details the route and visually reprises the gifts Oskar receives along the way. Roger Sutton

In 1938, the last night of Hanukkah coincided with Christmas Eve, and for a young Jewish refugee, both holidays provided blessings. Following Kristallnacht, Oskar's parents send him to New York with just his aunt's name and address. The illustrations, an engaging blend of large and small panels, are paced to echo the starts and stops and blessings of Oskar's (successful) journey.