The Wren and the Sparrow

January 5, 2015
Set during the Holocaust, this fable takes readers to a small Polish town where life “hung on the edge of the despair.” The Nazis have silenced protest and inflicted deprivation on the inhabitants, but when “the Tyrant’s guards” confiscate all the musical instruments (“Once, many years ago, music could be heard in the streets at all hours”), a hurdy-gurdy player nicknamed the Wren and his devoted student, the Sparrow, take one last stand to preserve their humanity. Through a twist of fate and the dedication of one person, their story of artistic courage is kept alive. Lewis (Harlem Hellfighters), the former U.S. Children’s Poet Laureate, writes in elevated, allusive, but always approachable language: “A six-year-old’s only possession, ten finger cymbals, tinkled like the sound of spring escaping winter.” Nayberg’s solemn, stylized images portray people who are exhausted and terrorized (several images are genuinely frightening) but holding onto hope. Rendered in fragmented curvilinear shapes and translucent, mottled browns and greens, they may remind young readers of stained glass, while adults will see the influence of European expressionism. Ages 8–12.

April 1, 2015

Gr 6 Up-A picture book about the Holocaust best appreciated by older readers. Lewis's tale takes place in the Lodz Ghetto in 1944 Warsaw and is based upon the events surrounding the forced surrender of all musical instruments. In "a little hamlet in the center of Poland, hung on the edge of despair....On a day that shamed the sky," soldiers displaying armbands with swastikas force the townspeople to hand over their musical instruments-for many, their most cherished possession-and toss them into wagons. An old carpet weaver-the Wren, known for his beautiful voice-arrives in a velvet horsedrawn coach with his student-the Sparrow-at his side. He begins to play his hurdy-gurdy and sing one last song ."..so that no one will ever forget this day." He leads the townspeople in a song of grief and sadness, of protest against the evil Tyrant. The hurdy-gurdy is seized, the old man dragged away, and "the day sealed itself into the lockbox of memory." Only the instrument survives, rescued in darkness by the Sparrow and hidden in a basement, where a young boy eventually finds it, reads the Wren's hidden message, and carries his treasure wherever he travels, passing it on to his great-grandchildren. The grim story has a clear message, and hope is evident in the end. Nayberg's abstract paintings, harboring hints of Modigliani and Chagall, pair well with this story. An author's note on the Lodz Ghetto and music is appended. VERDICT The picture book format may keep this carefully written and illustrated tale from reaching the audience that will best relate to it.-Susan Scheps, formerly at Shaker Public Library, OH

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2014
An old man called the Wren because of the beautiful music he makes must give up his beloved instrument during the Nazi occupation of his Polish town.This Holocaust fable keeps its true subject understated. Hitler is simply called the Tyrant, and all the audience knows is that it was a dark time. Lewis' poetic phrases collide with harsh realities. "Food and clothing were strictly rationed. Stores that once provided necessities were boarded up....The town shriveled up like a rose without rain." For the Wren, the most devastating day is the one when the Tyrant's guards collect the town's musical instruments. Before giving his pear-shaped hurdy-gurdy away, he pleads for one more song. The crowd rises up and sings as one. The Wren is taken away, never to be seen again. Luckily, the Wren's student, a girl with fiery red hair called the Sparrow, saves the instrument, and it is passed on to future generations with a secret note tucked inside, so the music will continue and no one will ever forget. Nayberg's stylized brush strokes initially take tones of brown and drear, but they warm with hope toward the end. The textured creases and cracks of paint echo the deliberate folds of the letter that holds such importance. A lyrical look at a horrific time; an appeal to the necessity of remembering. (afterword) (Picture book. 6-10)

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March 1, 2015
Grades 3-6 Wren, an old man who weaves carpets by day and plays the hurdy-gurdy by night, has one studenta young girl named Sparrow. One day, the Tyrant's guards arrive and force everyone to surrender their musical instruments. Wren plays one last tune, inspiring the townspeople but resulting in his own arrest and demise. Sparrow later rescues and hides the instrument, and after the war, the hurdy-gurdy and a hidden message from Wren are discovered by the author, who gratefully adopts it as his own. This allegorical tale set in the Lodz Ghetto of WWII conveys a sense of the Holocaust without the specifics of its brutality. Nayberg's mixed-media illustrations employ an earthy palette, well suited to the book's somber tone. The story has a universal feelonly the afterword identifies Lodzalthough the guards are depicted wearing swastikas. A beautiful tale emphasizing the importance of music, especially during times of despair. Share this with readers not quite ready for Jennifer Roy's Yellow Star (2006).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)