Book+Review


 * Book Review**


 * Introduction: **
 * **Title: ** //Butterfly//
 * **Author: **Patrcia Polacco
 * **Illustrator: **Patricia Polacco
 * **Publisher: **Penguin Group (USA)
 * **Copyright Date: **February 2009

**What is the book about?** The book //Butterfly// is based on a real account of the author’s family member living in France, during the horrific period of World War II known as the Holocaust. The book focuses on two small girls named Monique and Sevrine and their encounters with the Nazi soldiers. Monique is awakened one night to find Sevrine, a Jewish girl, sitting at the edge of her bed. She learns that her family has been hiding Sevrine from the Nazi soldiers, and the two quickly become friends. However, a neighbor sees these two girls together late one night and reports them to the authorities. Monique and Sevrine’s family flee the town in attempts to escape the Nazi soldiers. This book is a great introduction to learn more about the terrors about the Holocaust.

**What are the related subject areas, content concepts or vocabulary found in the book?** This book falls under the subject area of History and Culture. Aside from these two major concepts, the book presents other smaller concepts such as oppression, tragedy, courage, compassion, growing up, and friendship.

**What NCSS Themes and PA Social Studies Standards does the Book Cover?**It covers the NCSS themes in Culture, Time Continuity and Change, People Places and Environments, and Power, Authority, and Governance.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">H.8.4.3.D: Identify conflict and cooperation among groups and organizations from around the world. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">H.8.4.5.A: Compare and contrast common characteristics of the social, political, cultural, and economic groups in world history.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">**Which grade level is it appropriate for?** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">This book is appropriate for 3rd-5th graders for independent reading. However, this book is also very appropriate for a read-aloud to the class when presenting an idea about the Holocaust, which would range from 3rd grade to 7th grade. The reason this book is not used for younger grades is because it is a very emotional topic, in that many people died during the Holocaust. The older students will have a better understanding for what happened during the time period. Also, the reason for a read-aloud is because no matter what age of children there are, they all like to be read too.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">**What is your suggested method to use this book in the classroom?** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 13px;">My suggested method for using this book would be to introduce a unit on the Holocaust. I would use a whole group and do a read-aloud followed with an activity to leading into the Unit. After reading this book, the teacher could pass around pictures of this event so the children get a realistic idea about the events that occurred. A culminating activity could be to go and visit the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C., or pay a virtual tour at []. This book would also be kept in our class library for the students to look at any time during silent reading.