Illustrating the Holocaust

About the books:

The Girl Who Sang

A heartrending graphic memoir about a young Jewish girl's fight for survival in Nazi occupied Poland, The Girl Who Sang illustrates the power of a brother's love, the kindness of strangers, and finding hope when facing the unimaginable.   Born to a Jewish family in a small Polish village, Estelle Nadel—then known as Enia Feld—was just seven years old when the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939. Once a vibrant child with a song for every occasion, Estelle would eventually lose her voice as, over the next five years, she would survive the deaths of their mother, father, their eldest brother and sister, and countless others. 

A child at the mercy of her neighbors during a terrifying time in history, The Girl Who Sang is an enthralling first-hand account of Estelle's fight for survival during World War II. She would weather loss, betrayal, near-execution, and spend two years away from the warmth of the sun—all before the age of eleven. And once the war was over, Estelle would walk barefoot across European borders and find remnants of home in an Austrian displaced persons camp before finally crossing the Atlantic to arrive in New York City—a young woman carrying the unseen scars of war.   Beautifully rendered in bright hues with expressive, emotional characters, debut illustrator Sammy Savos masterfully brings Estelle story of survival during the Holocaust to a whole new generation of readers. The Girl Who Sang is perfect for fans of March, Maus, and Anne Frank's Diary.

The Tower of Life: How Yaffa Eliach Rebuilt Her Town in Stories and Photographs

There once was a girl named Yaffa. She loved her family, her home, and her beautiful Polish town that brimmed with light and laughter. She also loved helping her Grandma Alte in her photography studio. There, shopkeepers, brides, babies, and bar mitzvah boys posed while Grandma Alte captured their most joyous moments on film. And before the Jewish New Year, they sent their precious photographs to relatives overseas with wishes for good health and happiness.

But one dark day, Nazi soldiers invaded the town. Nearly 3,500 Jewish souls ― including family, friends, and neighbors of Yaffa ― were erased.

This is the stunning true story of how Yaffa made it her life’s mission to recover thousands of her town’s photographs from around the world. Using these photos, she built her amazing TOWER OF FACES, a permanent exhibit in the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, to restore the soaring spirit of Eishyshok.

Featuring:

Sammy Savos

Sammy Savos is an illustrator, writer, and storyboard artist who has worked on shows at Cartoon Network, Titmouse, Inc., and ShadowMachine. She is most interested in storytelling, whether it be through comics or animation. The Girl Who Sang is her illustrator debut. Find more about her work at https://www.sammysavos.com and @hamotzi on instagram.

Susan Gal

After completing her BFA at Art Center College of Design, Susan Gal began her illustration career as a poster and calendar artist. While working in Los Angeles she was selected for an internship with Walt Disney Feature Animation and joined the team at the brand-new Disney MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida as an animation in-betweener. Susan’s life-long dream to write and illustrate picture books eventually beckoned her back to her native California.

Susan’s work has been featured several times in the Society of Illustrator’s Original Art Show and chosen for many “best of” book lists. Her illustrated books have been recognized with the Sydney Taylor Award, the National Jewish Book Award, and most recently a Robert F. Sibert Honor, the Russel Freedman Nonfiction Award for a Better World, and the Malka Penn Award for Human Rights in Children’s Literature for The Tower of Life: How Yaffa Eliach Rebuilt Her Town in Stories and Pictures by Chana Stiefel.

You can see more of Susan’s work at galgirlstudio.comand follow her on Instagram at susangaldraws.

This program is part of a month-long bookfair at Barnes & Noble The Grove. A percentage of sales from this program benefit the Museum.

RSVP HERE