The Cats in Krasinski Square

Hesse, Karen. The Cats in Krasinski Square. New York: Scholastic Press, 2004.

Krasinski Square is outside the walls of the Warsaw Ghetto. When Gestapo discovers the Jewish Resistance plan to smuggle food to the people living in the Ghetto, Mira’s little sister devises a plan to save the smugglers and get the food to the people who desperately need it. The question is, what part will the cats play in this deception?

This book is very well written (and well illustrated). It puts a terrible era into language that children can understand. After reading this book, I found myself wanting to find out more about the Warsaw Ghetto, the people inside the walls, and the people who escaped.

What others have to say…

“The play of light and the naturalness of the cats’ poses are almost a comfort in a story that adults sense as keenly distressing, and that beckons for adult interpretation or guidance.”

Fargnoli, Harriett. 2004. "The Cats in Krasinski Square (Book)." School Library Journal 50, no. 11: 106-106. Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed May 8, 2009).