Theater in renovated barn on Mina's property on a wintry day

Readers of Motherland might be curious to see this photo. Mina’s son, Juergen, now lives in Mina’s house and he has made dramatic changes to the property. He renovated the dilapidated house and converted the vacant barn into a theater. During the 1950s and 1960s, Mina ran a sanitarium in the barn, offering patients the fresh air and pastoral views of Tromm.

Tromm, Germany

Now, the tiny town of Tromm attracts people from miles around for theater productions. In the summer, Juergen and his wife, Angelika, host an annual children’s theater festival called “Trommer Sommer,” featuring children’s workshops, puppet shows and children’s productions on two stages.

The last time I was in Germany, Juergen and I did a joint reading in the large theater. Many Germans traveled more than 50 miles to hear the two of us read the German and English editions of Motherland.

With his theater in the barn, Juergen has put Tromm — a tiny hamlet with five houses — on the map.

The Southern Poverty Law Center’s magazine, Teaching Tolerance, named Is It Night or Day? as a “Teaching Tool” in its Spring, 2011 issue:

Is It Night or Day? ($17.99), by Fern Schumer Chapman, tells the story of Edith Westerfeld, a 12-year-old Jewish girl whose parents send her, alone, to the United States in 1938 to escape the Nazis. Told in Edith’s voice, the novel captures both the specific fears of a child fleeing the Holocaust and the more general experiences of immigrants adjusting to life in a new country. It’s easy to identify with Edith’s loneliness and loss. Her story puts a human face on one way that Jewish children survived the Nazis.

ISBN 978-0-3741-7744-7
Farrar Straus Giroux
(888) 330-8477
www.us.macmillan.com

http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-39-spring-2011/teaching-tools

2011 SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARDS

ANNOUNCED BY THE ASSOCIATION OF JEWISH LIBRARIES

(Los Angeles — January 9, 2011)

www.SydneyTaylorBookAward.org

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Younger Readers:

Gathering Sparks by Howard Schwartz with illustrations by Kristina Swarner

(Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Older Readers:

Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword by Barry Deutsch

(Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams)

The Sydney Taylor Book Award Winner for Teen Readers:

The Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt

(Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books)

Notable Books for Older Readers:

Is It Night of Day? by Fern Schumer Chapman

(Farrar Straus Giroux, an imprint of Macmillan)

Kings and Carpenters: One Hundred Bible Land Jobs You Might

Have Praised or Panned by Laurie Coulter with illustrations by Mary Newbigging

(Annick Press)

Hot Pursuit: Murder in Mississippi by Stacia Deutsch and Rhody Cohon

with illustrations by Craig Orback

(Kar-Ben, an imprint of Lerner)

The Orphan Rescue by Anne Dublin with illustrations by Qin Leng

(Second Story Press)

The Year of Goodbyes by Debbie Levy

(Hyperion Books, an imprint of Disney Book Group)

Sharing Our Homeland: Palestinian and Jewish Children at Summer Peace Camp by Trisha Marx

with photographs by Cindy Karp

(Lee & Low Books)

Mitzvah the Mutt by Sylvia Rouss with illustrations by Martha Rast

(Yaldah Publishing)

Mauritius, an island nation off the southeast coast of Africa in the southwest Indian Ocean

Hi Fern,

While reading the story of your mother I kept on seeing my husband’s mom who passed away just a few years ago! So many similarities that is is almost shocking!! She too left Europe on the kindertransport when she was 12 yrs old. She went to the UK and was taken in by the Catholics who actually helped her escape although she was not a Catholic. My husband and his sister would say the same things that you write about in the book…their mother was an enigma as there were so many parts of her life she never wanted to talk about. She would talk with us and then suddenly…stare into space, and be lost to us!! She remained a person with many gaps in her past until her death. My husband’s questions and emotions are so similar to yours and I realize that you all were victims too!! Thank you for writing this book, wish we could’ve done the same for her!! My husband’s father’s father was one of the boat people escaping Europe and deported to Mauritius where he passed away, and where we live right now (work). Many blessings and shalom to you! xxxx

Anette Lenk and her husband, Roger, in Mauritius

From the blog called Polishing Mud Balls

EJ’s Thoughts (age 11): Is It Night or Day?, yes this is the title of one of the best books I have ever read. Basically, Edith, a Jewish German must move away from her home in Germany. She moves from her family to live in Chicago because of World War II. She has to learn English and try to fit in with Americans.

If someone asked me who my favorite character was I would have to say… Dorothy. I know she does seem to be mean, but she gets better. A character that I don’t like very much would have to be Julius. He changed and kind-of made me mad.

I guess one of the parts I don’t like is the ship, it’s not that fascinating. I think it was a little slow at that part, but I got through it. My favorite scene was when Dorothy was trying to show Edith her presents and the fight they had.

One of the reasons I got into this book was because it was about German Jews, and it took place during the time of World War II. I am fascinated with those two things: Germany, and World War II. Plus, the story takes place in Illinois part of the time.

I would recommend this book to all ages, especially to those people like me who like history because this book shows what it was like for people like Edith back then. Oh, and the by the way, almost all of this book is true.