SB 1828 calls for age-appropriate instruction, as determined by each school district.
For elementary-age students, educators may satisfy Holocaust Remembrance Week instruction requirements by using any of the readings found on this page. In other words, educators should not feel obligated to teach young learners about the atrocities of the Holocaust and can instead feel encouraged to highlight the broader themes found below.
Approved Literature Introducing Jewish Identity/Judaism
It is essential that elementary education introduces the theme of Who the Jews are. This way, when Holocaust instruction occurs in the upper grades, it is not the students' first introduction to Jews or Judaism. This is key to making sure that students do not perceive Jewish identity solely through the lens of victimization.
The following titles are arranged alphabetically by author. Please click on each image to find a brief description and age recommendation.
Taylor, Sidney. All-of-a-Kind Family. Book 1 of the classic autobiographical novel series set in NYC just before WWI depicts children of immigrants; highlights Jewish traditions and holidays and the family’s interactions with non-Jewish neighbors; author has been called “the Jewish Louisa May Alcott”
Age recommendation: 2nd though 5th grades
Taylor, Sidney. All-of-a-Kind Family Downtown. Book 3 of the classic autobiographical novel series set in NYC during WWI depicts children of immigrants; highlights Jewish traditions and holidays and the family’s interactions with non-Jewish neighbors; author has been called “the Jewish Louisa May Alcott”
Age recommendation: 2nd though 5th grades
Taylor, Sidney. All-of-a-Kind Family Uptown. Book 4 of the classic autobiographical novel series set in NYC during WWI depicts children of immigrants; highlights Jewish traditions and holidays and the family’s interactions with non-Jewish neighbors; author has been called “the Jewish Louisa May Alcott”
Age recommendation: 2nd though 5th grades
Taylor, Sidney. More All-of-a-Kind Family. Book 2 of the classic autobiographical novel series set in NYC just before WWI depicts children of immigrants; highlights Jewish traditions and holidays and the family’s interactions with non-Jewish neighbors; author has been called “the Jewish Louisa May Alcott”
Age recommendation: 2nd though 5th grades
Approved Literature on Anti-bullying/Tolerance/Fighting Prejudice
The following titles are arranged alphabetically by author. Please click on each image to find a brief description and age recommendation.
Picture book telling true story of how an American city supported its Jewish community when a family came under attack:Age recommendation: 3rd through 5th grades
Approved Literature Introducing the Holocaust
Please note that the THGAAC does not recommend explicit Holocaust instruction before 6th grade, but some titles can approach the subject with sensitivity for young readers.
The following titles are arranged alphabetically by author. Please click on each image to find a brief description and age recommendation.
Bunting, Eve. Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust. This unique introduction to the Holocaust encourages young children to stand up for what they think is right, without waiting for others to join them.
Age recommendation: 2nd through 5th grades, illustrated format
Gleitzman, Morris. Then. Novel narrated from the perspective of a young Jewish boy hiding in the Polish countryside.
Age recommendation: 5th through 8th grades; educators should note that there are references to circumcision
Golabek, Mona and Lee Cohen. The Children of Willesden Lane: A True Story of Hope and Survival During World War II; Young Readers Edition.
Age recommendation: 4th through 8th grades
Leyson, Leon with Marilyn J. Harran and Elizabeth B. Leyson. The Boy on the Wooden Box. Survivor memoir; #1 New York Times bestseller and Christopher Award recipient describes how a Jewish boy from Poland and some of his family members were rescued by Oskar Schindler and later moved to the United States
Age recommendation: 5th through 8 grades
Lowry, Lois. Number the Stars. Young adult novel; describes rescue of Danish Jews from a child's perspective; widely taught, in part due to the focus on rescue and the avoidance of disturbing themes and events of the Holocaust; Newbery Award Book
Age recommendation: 5th through 8th grades
Richter, Hans Peter. Friedrich. Autobiographical novel by member of the Hitler Youth; describes from a non-Jewish child’s point of view the systematic, gradual persecution and murder of one Jewish family that author knew; many teachers are impressed by the author’s ability to convey so many details about the Holocaust timeline despite the book’s short overall length and comparatively simple language; the book is also emotionally powerful, while avoiding any depiction of the camps for young readers
Age recommendation: 5th through 8th grades
Taylor, Peter Lane with Christos Nicola. The Secret of Priest’s Grotto: A Holocaust Survival Story. Illustrated profile of a Jewish family that hid in a cavern in Ukraine, and how their story is later uncovered; Sydney Taylor Honor book.
Age recommendation: 5th through 8th grades, due to reading level, illustrated format, and generally uplifting theme of survival