The Harmonica Spiral-Bound | 2008-07-01

Based on a true survivor story, this powerful picture book is yet another astonishing Holocaust account for discussion. A Polish Jewish child, blissfully happy with his loving parents, gets a harmonica from his coal-miner father and learns to play Schubert while his parents dance. The realistic mixed-media, double-page illustrations contrast that glowing warmth of home with the darkness that comes when Nazi soldiers break down the door, separate the boy from his family, and send him to the camps. His harmonica becomes his solace. The commandant hears about the child's playing. He orders the boy to play Schubert and throws him bread. In the end, however, the music does nothing to humanize the brutal Nazis. In fact, one unforgettable picture shows the commandant blissfully listening to the music, one hand over his heart and the other holding a whip. The home memories are idyllic, but there's absolutely no sentimentality about the child's survival. Johnston gives children and grown-ups lots to talk about here- for example, Can a person be both sensitive and cruel?

Set in WWII Poland and inspired by a true story of a Jewish family, Johnston's (Uncle Rain Cloud) stirring tale opens on a wistful note: "I cannot remember/my father's face,/or my mother's,/but I remember their love,/warm and enfolding/as a song." Mazellan's lifelike, earth-toned mixed-media paintings reveal a boy and his parents, first huddled together over a book, then singing together, then listening to the music of Schubert coming from a neighbor's gramophone. When his father returns from his job in a coal mine with a harmonica and gives it to the boy, his son practices on it until he can play Schubert. Meanwhile, "Somewhere outside, a war/was raging. But it was far away-/a bad dream- leaving us untouched." But not for long. The tenor of the narrative changes abruptly as Mazellan depicts Nazi soldiers banging on the door; the family is separated and the boy is sent to a concentration camp. When the commandant insists the lad play his harmonica for him each night, the boy cannot imagine how someone so cruel could appreciate the beauty of Schubert's music and is disgusted to perform it for him. But he finds solace in the realization that his playing also reaches his fellow prisoners, "who might hear the notes/and be lifted, like flights/of birds." The illustrator makes an affecting children's book debut, choosing images that communicate the story's pathos while sparing the audience many of the setting's horrors.

This is a gem of a Holocaust story! This picture book for older readers does not explain its Holocaust setting, but the point of the story is not history; the point is celebration of love and life and hope. Based on a true story, this is the tale of how music helps a boy survive on many levels. The young narrator's harmonica-playing helps him survive, literally: a Schubert-loving Nazi officer throws him extra bread. It helps him keep alive the memory of his parents who used to dance to his playing. And when he learns that other prisoners need the beauty of his playing, it brings him hope and a reason to go on. Every word is carefully chosen, and the story reads like a prose poem. The illustrations are breathtaking. While the palette is necessarily dark, color is used consciously to cue the mood with warm or cold tones. Faces are individual and expressive, positioning is hyper-realistic, and the implied movements are graceful. While realistic, the illustrations are also symbolic and sometimes slightly surreal: the Nazi's dogs have devilish red eyes, and in one scene a death's-head can be discerned in the shadows behind the commandant. This well-constructed book is an inspiring tale of human resilience, with an appeal that will reach both Jewish and non-Jewish readers. A must for any Holocaust collection.

Inspired by the story of a Holocaust survivor, this exquisite picture book is poignant and powerful. Simple sentences charged with delicate word choices briefly recount the first-person narration of a poor but happy boy and his parents in Poland who were captured, split up, and taken to concentration camps. The youngster manages to take with him the harmonica his father gave him, on which he plays Schubert. The commandant of the camp learns of his talents and orders him to, "Play, Jew!" The boy complies - and finds out that the whole camp hears him and takes heart from the music. The mixed-media illustrations change from a warm to cold palette to underscore the move from home to camp. While the story is set in World War II, the theme is broader, and makes a case for the power of music/art to support and sustain humanity. There is an appended note about the life of Henryk Rosmaryn.