The Wren and the Sparrow

by J. Patrick Lewis Narrated by Book Buddy Digital Media

Overview

An old man, known as the Wren, plays his hurdy-gurdy, and with the help of his student, the Sparrow, brings hope and inspiration to the people of a small Polish town. A beautifully illustrated Holocaust fable by US Children's Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

01/05/2015
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. (Mar.)

From the Publisher

"The musical legacy of one man reaches through the dark days of the Holocaust to a young survivor in this fable about the power of music and memory. In a Polish town 'hung on the edge of despair' lives the Wren, a poor old man with a beautiful voice and a sole pos­session, his beloved hurdy-gurdy. When the Nazis force the people to give up their musical instruments, the Wren defies the order by playing one last song before being dragged away to his demise. The poetic words of the song and the raised voices of the townspeople bring a brief moment of catharsis in the midst of so much anguish. That night the Sparrow, the Wren's student sneaks through the village and recovers the instrument, hiding it behind the boiler of her apartment building. Years later, after the end of the war, a boy discovers the hurdy-gurdy with a letter from the Wren tucked inside. 'Finder, if you are not the Sparrow, know that once a young girl risked her life for an old man who lived...in the key of despair, but the octave of truth.' As the young boy grows into a man, he keeps the instru­ment safe throughout his travels, vowing to leave his own letter in it '...so that no one will ever forget.' The affecting text is filled with both pathos and hope, befitting the author's status as U.S. Children's Poet Laureate (2011 - 2013). Somber watercolor and pencil illustra­tions convey the historical darkness of the time, yet are punctuated with the Sparrow's red hair and the rich tones of the instruments that invoke the hope of better days to come. A poetic tribute to the resilience and continuity of the Jewish people following the nightmare of the Holocaust. Includes an afterword and archival photo describing the role of music in the Lodz ghetto and concentration camps." — Jewish Book World

School Library Journal

04/01/2015
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

Kirkus Reviews

2014-12-06
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)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170106363
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/01/2017
Series:	Holocaust
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

Videos