Please read my interview with incredibly talented children’s book illustrator Eric Velasquez.
If you love baseball, you’ll love this book about Hall of Famer, Larry Doby!
February is Black History Month in the USA. This is a great time to explore American history and some of the many inspirational African Americans who helped shape our great nation. Here are some ways you can celebrate and learn with your children:
As a reviewer, I read countless books each month. Some are very good, a few are excellent, and many are OK, but once in a blue moon, a book moves me. Someone Named Eva is a book that really moved me.
Someone Named Eva is historical fiction for middle readers ages 9-12. It is written from the perspective of a Czech girl who is forced by the Nazis to leave her home in Lidice. She is selected as part of a group of Aryan children (the Nazi’s opinion of the “pure” race) due to her facial features, blond hair and blue eyes. She is swiftly plucked from her family, forced to attend a special program living in a dormitory in Lebensborn, Poland and treated with special privileges. It was here that she was forced to change her name, learn to speak German and become a “proper” Aryan girl under the auspices of Adolf Hitler. While spending 2 years in the program, not knowing what happened to her siblings, parents and grandmother, “Eva” struggles to keep her original identity alive in her mind, because she is not allowed to speak about her family and her former life. Outside of the school, she has more extraordinary experiences that test her resilience to survive.
What I love about Someone Named Eva is that the story is engaging from the very first sentence, and the words flow naturally off the page like maple syrup off a tall stack of hotcakes. The book educates young readers about an aspect of World War II that many children may not already know – that Jewish people were not the only victims of the Holocaust. The author does a beautiful job of portraying the innocence of a young child and how she ever so gradually comes to understand the many atrocities of Hitler, especially in her hometown of Lidice. Ironically Eva was treated with special privileges in many ways, yet was a prisoner nonetheless. All the sensitive subject matter of the war is appropriately handled in the book with grace and taste, ideal for the target age group of the readers.
Ms. Wolf traveled to the Czech Republic, where her Great Grandmother was born, and to Poland to do research about WWII to write the book. It was there that she met several people former Lidice children themselves, who shared their compelling and inspiring stories of survival with her. Someone Named Eva has been widely read by educators and young readers of the English language and has also been translated into French and Korean. I highly recommend the book – not just to middle readers and young adults – but to all who enjoy a beautifully written story set in a place and time we must not let ourselves forget.
Someone Named Eva is sure to remain an important piece of literature for generations to come, and I’m so grateful I had the chance to enjoy it.
This tiny charming town in NW Florida, with a population of just over 1,200, is the Seat of Lafayette County government.
Lafayette County Courthouse
The old Lafayette County Courthouse, built in the 1890′s, is now a Bed and Breakfast
If you find yourself in Philadelphia for any reason, set aside some time to visit East State Penitentiary. You’ll be so glad you did. I’ve been to Alcatraz twice and was impressed by the facility and fascinated by the history. But my visit to East State Penitentiary this week was even more of an extraordinary experience. This was the essentially the world’s first prison designed to influence inmates to truly repent for their sins. I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit I never really thought about the word “penitentiary” meaning actual penitence before visiting this one. But it sure makes sense. The theory was that if prisoners spent their time regretting the crimes they had committed, they would be reformed and able to reenter society as productive adults.
The entrance to East State Penitentiary
I visited the prison this past Sunday, and the fact that I was actually freezing, despite wearing 2 long sleeve shirts, a sweater and a coat, hood and gloves, made the experience all that more creepy. Tours are conducted every half hour with a maximum of 24 guests. Be sure to make a reservation though, or you may have to wait a long time on a waiting list to get in. And don’t even think about coming in late for your reserved time, or your spot will be given to someone else who is waiting. The tours are very prompt.
One of several towers where guards once stood watch over the 11-acre property
My friend, Ginny and I were fortunate enough to have Amy as our tour guide. She led a most interesting tour and was thoroughly knowledgeable about the prison and was so animated and energetic.
Tour guide Amy explains the reason for the prison’s design
The prison was planned in 1787 and was opened in 1829. Designed by British architect John Haviland, the Gothic structure is essentially a stone fortress built with seven long cell blocks radiating out from an octagon-shaped center. At the time it was the largest structure in the US and was designed to intimidate and isolate those who were sentenced. Though today much of the prison is in disrepair, visitors can imagine how beautiful it actual was in its beginnings.
A historic drawing of the plans for East State is on display in the small museum
Walking down a cell block gives visitors insight into the former beauty of the structure. Walls were once painted a bright white and natural light beams down the corridor. I was fascinated to learn that East State had indoor plumbing (flushing toilets) while the President in the White House at the time was still using a chamber pot. It also had an efficient water heating system and was considered, in many ways, to be the most innovative structure in America.
Individual flushing toilets in each cell
The inside of a crumbling cell
Each of the prison’s cells were small yet felt spacious due to the tall ceilings and skylight. The cell doors are all extremely low, so that the prisoners had to bend over to get in and out, making it harder for them to escape quickly. On the back wall of each cell is another door that leads out into a secluded courtyard.
Each cell block has towering domed ceilings and low, thick wooden cell doors hung from metal rollers
Prisoners spent their days repenting and learning different trades so they would be qualified to work when they were released. The workers who taught the trades never actually saw the faces of the prisoners they were teaching, The reasoning behind this was that the prison officials did not want the workers to be able to identify the inmates after they were back in mainstream society. This protected them from being discriminated against. Many of the early inmates served short sentences for stealing or unpaid debts.
I don’t want to give away any of the great stories you will hear on the tour, but I will say that Al Capone was the prison’s most famous inmates. He spent less than a year here and was a master at manipulating the system to obtain special privileges to decorate his cell with fine furnishings. He later was sent to a prison in Atlanta and then spent 4 1/2 years at Alcatraz before being transferred to another prison in Southern California. Women prisoners spent time at East State Penitentiary too, and many were impregnated and gave birth while incarcerated.
The last year the prison was used was in 1971.
If you visit during the winter months, dress as if you were going downhill skiing. Now, I am from Miami, so I am not used to to cold. But every other visitor on our tour also complained about being too cold. You will experience the complete opposite problem during the summer months when it is boiling hot in there. Obviously there is no electricity, no heat and no cooling system in the structure.
There is an audio tour you can take at other times of the year. And during Halloween there is a massive Haunted House that I understand is phenomenally frightening. How fun would that be?!
Open every day 10-5 except for major holidays.
22nd & Fairmount Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19130
Phone: (215) 236-3300
Adults: $12
Seniors: $10
Students & Kids: $8
Members get in for free
My paternal grandparents were born four days apart on the same farm in New Glasgow, Quebec Canada. It’s funny because neither of them were ever certain about their actual birthdays; they said the dates may have gotten mixed up between them after so many years together. They were both born in August, 1906.
Old photos are really special. Without old black and white photography we’d never be able to get a visual glimpse of the past. I enjoy taking my time studying the photos, the expressions on faces, the clothing and hairstyles and all the background elements.
My Grandmother, Nellie Rudy with her younger brother, Willie. Willie grew uo to take over his parents’ farm.
My Grandfather, Joe Rosen taking a bath in a china bowl.
What legacy will our photos leave behind for our grandchildren and great grandchildren?
We had a most magical day in Philadelphia today. Learning about our nation’s history, namely the process of creating and signing the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. This is a place all Americans, young and old, should visit!
At Independence Hall, originally called the Pennsylvania State House, we had the best, most knowledgeable tour guide ever, named Maria Schaller. She gave us a fascinating, detailed account of how our founding fathers debated fighting for our independence, and how the Declaration of Independence was written. We stood in the very room where it all happened, heard accounts of the discussions that took place and the roles the delegates of the 13 original colonies played in obtaining freedom from the British. Thank you, Maria Schaller for knowing your stuff and presenting it in a most fascinating manner. Here are a few facts of the many I learned from her today:
The symbol of freedom – Liberty Bell’s mysterious crack, first noticed in the mid 1800′s is a most intriguing sight to see. An attempt many years ago, to repair the crack, failed.
The Liberty Bell’s original home was in the tower of Independence Hall. The tower is currently undergoing a repair. Now the Bell it is on display in a separate modern building for all to see.
Old City Hall.
Inside the Old City Hall. Thank you guide, Stewart Low for giving us insight into the courtroom in 1731.
Maria Schaller giving a most informative group tour. You will be very fortunate if you get her on your tour!
The very room where the Declaration was proposed, discussed, agreed upon and signed. The chair in the back of the room is the only original piece of furniture and is the chair George Washington actually sat in!
Close-up of chair.
Some tips if you go. First you must get a free ticket at the Independence Visitors Center, run by The National Park Service. Tours are for specific times and can fill up fast. The Old City Hall is located next to Independence Hall and doesn’t require a ticket. The Liberty Bell is across the street from Independence Hall. There are many other historic sights to see in this area. Be sure to bring a camera.
We should all know our state’s history. When was your state added to the union? Which states came before and after yours? How may other states were added to the union the same year as yours?
http://www.kroll-antique-maps.com/
States in order of Admittance into the Union and Date Admitted
What else do you know about your state?
