This dark piece is based on a Holocaust survivor's experience. A boy lives happily with his parents in Poland, singing and learning to play harmonica; however, the mixed-media illustrations already swirl with anguish and the barbed wire on the cover looms large. Sent to a concentration camp alone, he endures hunger, cold, and forced labor. In a painful twist, an officer discovers his musical gift: " Play, Jew!' The commandant spat, night after night." Tormented, the boy plays Schubert, wrestling with the question of how the beautiful music can both invoke his loving parents and also bring rapture to a murderous Nazi officer. One night in the dark barracks, a voice whispers, "Bless you": the Schubert has reached the ears of the prisoners as well. So in his heart, he plays for them—and for his gone-forever parents. Frequent figurative language gives the narrative voice an adult tone. Visually effective and grim. (author's note) (Picture book. 8+)

Gr 3-6-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.-Cris Riedel, Ellis B. Hyde Elementary School, Dansville, NY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Based on true events, this is a dramatic if sentimental story about the Holocaust. When he is asked to play his harmonica by the commandant of the concentration camp where he is imprisoned, a boy's love of music proves both life-saving and life-affirming. The dark, rather romantic, illustrations match the tone of Johnston's sometimes self-conscious prose.