Westfield Public Library (Ethel Everhard Memorial)

I saw a beautiful woodpecker, summer 1939 : the diary of a young boy at the outbreak World War II, Michal Skibiński ; illustrations by Ala Bankroft ; translated from the Polish by Eliza Marciniak

Label
I saw a beautiful woodpecker, summer 1939 : the diary of a young boy at the outbreak World War II, Michal Skibiński ; illustrations by Ala Bankroft ; translated from the Polish by Eliza Marciniak
Language
eng
Illustrations
illustrations
Index
no index present
Literary Form
non fiction
Main title
I saw a beautiful woodpecker
Oclc number
1268128913
Responsibility statement
Michal Skibiński ; illustrations by Ala Bankroft ; translated from the Polish by Eliza Marciniak
Sub title
summer 1939 : the diary of a young boy at the outbreak World War II
Summary
"It is the summer of 1939 in Warsaw, Poland and Michal is an eight- year-old boy just finishing his school year. In order to improve his handwriting, Michal's teacher gives him a simple assignment: keep a journal, writing one sentence a day. Eighty years later, Michal's diary has been gorgeously illustrated with beautifully atmospheric paintings. Eloquent in its simplicity, the journal is a remarkable artifact that captures the innocence of childhood and the trauma of war. The journal starts out with a typical boy's observations: "July 15: I went to a stream with my brother and teacher." "July 23: I found a caterpillar." However over the course of weeks, menacing details emerge. "July 27: A plane was circling over Anin." "September 1: The war has begun." "September 3: I hid from planes." "September 14: Warsaw is bravely defending itself." These haunting entries are interspersed with visits from relatives, a soccer game, a trip to a park, an ice cream cone. Photographs of pages from Michal's diary enhance the poignancy of this simple record--an ordinary holiday interrupted by war; a life changed forever by an extraordinary moment in history." --Amazon.com
Target audience
juvenile
Classification
Genre
Mapped to