The Lady with the Books

Welcome to Perfect Picture Book Friday, Everyone! My picture book recommendation today is…

The Lady with the Books: A Story Inspired by the Remarkable Work of Jella Lepman, written by Kathy Stinson,  illustrated by Marie Lafrance, published by Kids Can Press, 2020.

Themes/Topics: Books, Poverty, Power of Words, Hope, Kindness, Empowerment, Charity

Opening: Anneliese kicked at the dirt and rubble on the sidewalk.

Brief Synopsis (from Amazon): Inspired by true events, a fictionalized retelling of how one woman brought a world of books to children in Germany after World War II, and changed their lives forever.

Anneliese and Peter will never be the same after the war that took their father's life. One day, while wandering the ruined streets of Munich, the children follow a line of people entering a building, thinking there may be free food inside. Instead, they are delighted to discover a great hall filled with children's books --- more books than Anneliese can count. Here, they meet the lady with the books, who encourages the children to read as much as they want. And she invites them to come back the next day. Eventually, she will have a greater impact on the children's lives than they could ever have imagined.

Why I Like This Book: A poignant testimony to the power of books to kindle imaginations and bring hope and inspiration into lives shrivelled by troubles.

Links To Resources

—Babar the Elephant by Jean de Brunhoff

—Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren. Learn more about Pippi in this Wikipedia article.

—More about IBBY the The International Board on Books for Young People

—Jella Lepman Wikipedia article

To find even more awesome picture books (and browse them by theme!) visit Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Books page.

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