Moishe Moskowitz, 13, calls the Nazis that invade Poland in 1939 “wolves.” His family tries but fails to avoid the predators’ sharp teeth. Moishe’s experience during the Holocaust—among his immediate family he was the only survivor— is recounted in affecting, emotionally observant first-person poems by Hope Anita Smith, based on Moishe’s story as told by his daughter, Gloria Moskowitz- Sweet. The title comes from an incident that helped Moishe continue to believe in human compassion despite the horror he endured: Near the end of the war local women in Czechoslovakia defied the Germans and raided a bakery to toss still-warm bread to the starving Jews passing through their town crammed into a cattle car. “They fed our bodies, / but their willingness to risk / fed our souls … I saw love. / Not because we were their husbands or sons or fathers / but just because we were. / We mattered.” More about Moishe’s life, including immigrating to the United States after the war, and family photos, is provided in a note from his daughter at volume’s end. (Ages 11–14)

A powerful middle grade novel-in-verse about one boy’s experience surviving the Holocaust.

Moishe Moskowitz was thirteen when the Nazis invaded Poland and his family learned the language of fear. The wolves loomed at every corner, yet Moishe still held on to the blessings of his mother’s blueberry pierogis, of celebrating the Sabbath as a family, of a loyal friend. But each day the darkness weighed more heavily on Moishe as his family was broken, uprooted, and scattered across labor and concentration camps. Just as his last hopes began to dim, a simple act of kindness redeemed his faith that goodness could survive the trials of war: That was the day it rained warm bread.

Gloria Moskowitz-Sweet relates her father’s triumphant Holocaust story through the words of award-winning poet Hope Anita Smith. Deftly articulated and beautifully illustrated by Lea Lyon, this is an essential addition to the ever-important collection of Holocaust testimonies.

Christy Ottaviano Books