There are several points to be made in answer to the question about evaluating Holocaust literature for children posted on HaSafran:
1)AJL has several bibliographies of Holocaust literature for children posted on its bibliography bank atwww.jewishlibraries.org. 2)The Jewish Valuesfinder database contains several hundred recommended Holocaust titles for young people of all ages. Do a search at www.ajljewishvalues.org. 3)Marcia Posner's specialty is Holocaust literature. Lisa Silverman is also knowledgeable, especially in Holocaust picture books. Do a database search for articles they have written. 4)Do Google and other database searches (EBSCO, for ex.); there's a vast amount written about Holocaust literature. 5)Consult the various books that have been written about Holocaust literature for children, especially those edited by Samuel Totten. My new book, BEST JEWISH BOOKS FOR CHILDREN AND TEENS, just published by the Jewish Publication Society, has a chapter on recommended books about the Holocaust and an introduction that gives some historical background. 6)Holocaust literature is evaluated according to the same criteria that all other Jewish books for children are evaluated, including accuracy, age-appropriateness, authenticity, a well-realized theme, compelling setting and characters, a believable plot, and an integration of all of these elements into a coherent and readable whole. In addition, extra attention is given to age-appropriateness in content and illustrations (most Holocaust educators recommend 5th grade as the time when children should be introduced to the Holocaust), the provision of historical background and context, a focus on the Jewish nature of the Holocaust, a sensitivity to the need to balance specific horrendous details with tact for children's emotional and intellectual readiness for such details. For a discussion of evaluating books of Jewish content for children and teens, see http://www.jewishlibraries.org/ajlweb/publications/excellence.pdf. 7)As with all literature for all ages, one size does not fit all. There is no formula for evaluating books: each deserves to be judged on its own by a competent reviewer. Since no one can read ALL of the books written about the Holocaust for children, reliable recommendations and bibliographies are very helpful. 8)Reviews in the AJL Newsletter reflect the criteria stated above. Each reviewer writes his/her own evaluation; each review indicates if the book is recommended or not recommended. Each reader of the Newsletter makes her/his own decision on which books to buy. Linda R. Silver AJL Newsletter Reviews for Children and Teens AJL Jewish Valuesfinder Best Jewish Books for Children and Teens: A JPS Guide --- Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) =========================================================== Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: hasaf...@osu.edu SUBscribing, SIGNOFF commands send to: Listproc @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu Questions, problems, complaints, compliments;-) send to: galron.1 @ osu.edu Ha-Safran Archives: Current: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html History: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/history.html AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org