Bøger af Ellen Schwartz

Bird-like is a heartwarming and vividly illustrated tale that follows Dodo, a unique and spirited bird, who embarks on a journey to discover what it means to fit in and be true to oneself. Set against the backdrop of a colorful and bustling animal community, Dodo faces the challenge of conforming to the expectations of her peers who question her bird-like qualities because of her unconventional ways.Despite her efforts to sing beautifully, look colorful, and attempt flight, Dodo finds herself struggling to meet the standards set by her community. After a series of trials, including a perilous attempt at flying, Dodo learns an invaluable lesson about the beauty and strength in being different. With the support of a few understanding friends and her relentless spirit, Dodo embraces her uniqueness, finding joy and pride in her oddities.This enchanting story is not only about the journey of self-acceptance but also touches on themes of diversity, resilience, and the importance of staying true to one's self despite external pressures. Bird-like is a celebration of individuality, encouraging readers of all ages to embrace their true selves and to appreciate the uniqueness in others. It's a reminder that being different is not just okay-it's beautiful.Perfect for children and adults alike, this book will inspire, uplift, and remind us all that the world is a richer place because of its varied and colorful inhabitants. Join Dodo as she dances to the beat of her heart, right next to the tingle ting ting of her beautifully crafted windchime, and discover the joy in being wonderfully odd.

Holocaust survivors are depicted as more than just victims in this historical fiction novel for middle grader readers.Inspired by a true story, and told in two different time periods, Friends to the Rescue takes place in Fossa, Italy, a small mountain village that offered refuge to Jews during World War II. When the village suffered a devastating earthquake 65 years later, the Jewish refugees whom the town had helped traveled to Fossa to return the favor. On April 6, 2009, Luca and his grandfather Roberto were eating lunch together in their quiet home in Fossa, Italy when disaster struck. An earthquake shook the house, forcing them to scramble out and into the streets. As wave after wave trembled the ground, Luca watched as his home and small village fell to rubble.In the days ahead, with roads impassable, the village was cut off from the rest of the world. Luca and his neighbors needed to work together to survive. Nurses, doctors, and Luca's grandfather Roberto tended to the wounded, while others scoured the ruins of homes and businesses to look for food and water. It took four days for aid to arrive. When the rescue workers came, they brought welcomed surprise visitors.During World War II, Luca's grandfather Roberto, then just a boy, had helped in another type of rescue. One afternoon, Roberto found his parents clearing out their basement pantry and replacing food with beds. They told him there would be visitors coming to stay with them for a while . . . visitors that must remain hidden. A family of Jews from Rome moved into their pantry, seeking refuge from the German armies that were now in Italy. Their young daughter Rosa and Roberto became the closest of friends but lost touch after the war. It would take an emergency to bring them back together.

A writer and educator reflects on the idealistic, tumultuous, and eye-opening time she spent as a back-to-the-land hippie homesteader in Kootenays in the 1970s.What compelled a nice Jewish girl from the suburbs of New York to spend a decade of her life as a hippie homesteader in the BC wilderness? Galena Bay Odyssey traces Ellen Schwartz’s journey from a born-and-raised urbanite who was terrified of the woods to a self-determined logger, cabin-builder, gardener, chicken farmer, apiarist, and woodstove cook living on a communal farm in the Kootenays. Part memoir, part exploration of what motivated the exodus of young hippies—including American expatriates, like Ellen and her husband, Bill—to go “back to the land” in remote parts of North America during the 1960s and ’70s, this fascinating book explores the era’s naivety, idealism, and sense of adventure. Like most “back to the land” books, Galena Bay Odyssey describes the physical work involved in clearing land, constructing buildings, and living off of what they produced, but it also traces the complicated journey of discovery this experience brought to Ellen and Bill. Now, nearly half a century later, Ellen reflects on what her homesteader experience taught her about living more fully, honestly, and ecologically.