Jennifer Elvgren, award-winning author of The Whispering Town and Josias, Hold the Book, is a former print journalist who finds her story ideas in real life. She lives in Albemarle County, Virginia. With her husband, three children Caspian the border collie, Copperfield the foxhound, and Goodnight Moon the American quarter horse.
"A picture book proves 'it takes a village' long before people said
'it takes a village'. Whispers and quiet courage turn resistance to
Nazis during the Holocaust in Denmark into a heart warming story of
supportive action. First person narrative and illustrations deliver
danger, fear and heroism. The cruel need to hide to survive is
balanced by resourceful support of neighbors and strangers. A
family of righteous gentiles hides Jews in their cellar on a
regular basis. Anett, their young daughter, treads into the dark to
bring them food, guided down the stairs by their whispers. To ease
the waiting, she brings library books. Anett replenishes supplies
by visiting the baker, the librarian and the farmer; all talk in
whispers. After a few days, hidden Jews walk to the town harbor
where they board boats to be smuggled to safety in Sweden. Daily
the occupying Nazi soldiers bang on doors and threaten townsfolk
about protecting Jews. Anett knows how to warn those in her house;
she knows how to answer the ugly soldiers. But no one seems to know
how to get hidden Jews to the harbor without being caught when
there is no moonlight to ensure a secure route. In the story,
remembering how whispers get her down stairs, Anett suggests
townsfolk stand in their doorways to whisper sequentially, enabling
Jews to make the harbor without meeting soldiers. (In history, not
all escapes succeeded; one of the exceptions happened in the town,
Gilleleje, where this story is set.) The actual tiny fishing
village helped 1700, almost one fourth of Danish Jews, board boats
for safe passage to a safer land. The cold palette of the art is
broken by angry slashes of red. Faces communicate tension. The
short, direct lines of text speak worlds. This slim volume is
highly recommended for its fine read, for its introduction to sound
historical fiction and for its gentle look at a difficult past that
cannot be ignored.
Recommended for ages 6 to 9." -- Jewish Book World--Magazine
"Annet's family is part of the Danish resistance, hiding Jews in
their cellar until the hidden refugees can escape by boat to
Sweden. Unlike many stories set during the Nazi occupation, this
one finds its protagonist, who narrates the story, an already
accomplished insurgent: when her mother tells Annet, 'There are new
friends in the cellar, ' the girl knows whom to go to in the
underground for additional food and even books for the young boy
sheltering with his mother. These hushed requests inspire Annet to
create a kind of whispering chain to guide the Jews to the harbor
on a moonless night. Based on real events that unfolded in the
Danish fishing town of Gilleleje, it's a story that feels urgent
and refreshingly unsentimental. Elvgren (Josias, Hold the Book)
never stops her reportorial storytelling for a speech about why
these brave people are defying the Nazis--Annet just knows she has
to act. Santomauro, who has a distinctly graphic novel sensibility,
uses strong ink lines and a rich neutral palette (save for a few
splashes of red) to convey a sense of secrecy, high stakes, and
profound moral courage. Ages 7-11. Illustrator's agent: Advocate
Art. (Feb.)" -- Publisher's Weekly--Journal
"Based on a true incident, this is the story of a two families, one
Danish, the other Jewish. Young Anett is told by her mother, 'there
are new friends in the cellar.' This is no surprise to the girl;
the cellar is where Danish Jews are hidden from the Nazis. The new
boy, Carl, and his mother are to remain hidden for two nights until
a boat can take them to Sweden. Until then, the other villagers
provide bread and eggs and even books. The moonless nights make it
difficult to evacuate Carl and his mother, yet as the Nazis come
closer, it becomes clear that they must somehow make their way to
the harbor. Then, Anett has an idea. That night, the villagers
stand in the doorways of their houses, each whispering, 'this way'
and forming a chain that leads Carl and his mother to the first
step toward safety. The illustrations have the bold look of a
graphic novel and use oversize figures to command attention. Both
author and illustrator do an excellent job of bringing both the
horror and humanity of this story to a level younger children can
understand, and there is much of both: Nazis pounding on doors;
Carl giving Anett his most prized possession, a heartshaped stone,
a last gift from his father. An unusual and strong addition to
Holocaust literature." -- Booklist--Journal
"Residents of a small town in Nazi-occupied Denmark work together
to provide a hidden Jewish mother and son safe passage to neutral
Sweden.
'New friends' are being harbored in Anett's dark basement for two
nights. Though afraid, she allows their whispering voices to lead
her down the stairs. Anett brings food from her mother's kitchen
and books from the library until the boy and his mother can
secretly board a fishing boat that will cross over to Sweden. Most
of Anett's daily encounters with neighbors and shopkeepers show
that the townsfolk support Anett's family in their dangerous
effort. When the Nazis begin to search houses each night, the
situation becomes even more perilous for Anett's family, and her
father determines that they must be taken to the harbor despite the
obscuring clouds. Without moonlight, the Jews are beckoned from
door to door, guided only by whispering voices--'This way'--that
indicate the route to safety. The direct simplicity of the story's
telling serves well as an introduction for younger children to the
Holocaust. Dark cartoon sketches reminiscent of Tomi Ungerer in
opaque black, blues, grays and khaki green markers and word bubbles
with the key words of direction paint the ominous atmosphere.
This uncomplicated narrative of Danish resistance will facilitate
teaching and discussion of a difficult yet necessary subject.
(author's note) (Picture book. 5-8)" -- Kirkus Reviews--Journal
"Rounding out this literary threesome of resistance and escape is
'The Whispering Town, ' a picture book written by Jennifer Elvgren
and illustrated by Fabio Santomauro. The setting is a Danish
fishing village, but one of the book's charms is how little context
you need to understand it: There's a war, and Anett's family is
hiding refugees and sneaking them to safety by boat to neutral
Sweden. Anett's job is to bring food to the Jewish mother and child
hidden in her basement, where she finds her way down the dark
stairs by following the sound of their whispers. When Anett's
father worries that the refugees might get lost in the dark when
they flee to the harbor, Anett suggests the whole village whisper
directions to them as they go. The publisher of 'The Whispering
Town' recommends the book for children ages 7 to 11, but it feels
appropriate for reading to very young children as an introduction
to the subject of the Holocaust. It's definitely the least
harrowing of the three books. The threat to the escaping mother and
child is only hinted at in the bales of barbed wire that accompany
the Nazi soldiers whenever they appear, in the worrying absence of
the father in the Jewish family group, and in the villagers'
ominous, repeated warning: 'Stay safe.' Santomauro's thoughtful
illustrations, with their restrained colors, subtly remind the
reader of the village's determined solidarity." -- The New York
Times Book Review--Newspaper
"Set in 1943 in Nazi-occupied Denmark, this striking picture book
tells the story of a community of townspeople who work together to
aid Jews hiding from the Nazis. As the story opens, Anett's mother
informs Anett that there are 'new friends in the cellar' and sends
the girl down with breakfast for Carl and his mother, who will soon
depart by boat. When Anett gathers supplies from likeminded
villagers, the baker provides extra bread, the librarian provides
extra books, and the farmer provides extra food (''Wish them well,
' he whispered back, giving me extra eggs''). Soldiers begin to
search for hidden Jews in the village, and it looks like the dark
of the moonless night will keep Carl and his mother from making it
to the harbor; fortunately, Anett comes up with the idea of
directing the pair through whispers, and the villagers stand on
their doorsteps and whisper 'This way' to guide the two to a
waiting boat. Elvgren's focused, unsentimentalized narrative is an
ideal selection for introducing younger children to the many who
stood up to do what was right during the Nazi regime. The spare
storytelling style is perfectly matched with the sophisticated yet
accessible illustrations, composed of black lines, fields of
digital color, and scratchy pen details. A limited palette wherein
grays and blues dominate plays to the mystery of the story while
the contrasting splashes of dark red add interest. An author's note
provides background information and links the events of the story
to an actual occurrence in the fishing village of Gilleleje. This
is a notable early introduction to the Danish resistance that
deserves wide readership." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's
Books --Journal
"This picture book with a graphic novel sensibility tells the story
of a young girl, Anett, whose family is harboring Jewish refugees
in a Danish fishing village. Anett brings food to the mother and
child hidden in her cellar, and helps guide them to boats on one
moonless night. The title is derived from her suggestion that the
whole town whisper directions to the pair to ensure they don't get
lost. Though the book was originally suggested for the 7 to 11 age
range, our reviewer, Elizabeth Wein, said it felt appropriate as an
introduction to the Holocaust for younger children."--Newspaper
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