The Night
Crossing, by Karen Akerman, is a tender story about a brave Austrian
Jewish family, and their challenging long journey to freedom during the start
of the Second World War. As the family
desperately makes their way towards a safer place, they can only take with them
what they can carry in their pockets. The children in the story bring along their two favorite dolls. Inside the dolls are hidden their
family’s most precious possessions - their Sabbath candle sticks.
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The children in Mrs. Zaret's class were very moved
by this beautiful story. The book
fostered a great deal of discussion about kindness, peace, discrimination,
empathy, and love.
As a highlight to their follow-up activities, the students were
inspired to make dolls of their own.
Inside the dolls, the children hid trinkets that they had made, along
with notes they had written of peace and good-will. Mrs. Zaret brought her sewing machine into the classroom, and each
child had the opportunity to create a doll that they could keep forever. The dolls serve as a reminder that we
must all treat each other with respect and kindness, and must all work towards
making our world a more peaceful and loving place to live.
What a wonderful, special way to celebrate a story that touched all the students.
