Emmy Noether is not pretty, quiet, good at housework or eager to marry — all the things a German girl is expected to be in her time. What she is, though, is a genius at math. When she grows up, she finds a way to first study math at a university (by sitting in, not actually enrolling) and then to teach it (by doing so for free). She also manages to do her own research into some of the most pressing math and physics problems of the day. And though she doesn’t get much credit during her lifetime, her discoveries continue to influence how we understand the world today.
Germany
Materials from Germany
The Potato King
Once upon a time there was a Prussian King, Frederick, also known as Fritz, who saw potential in the lowly potato — a newly introduced crop from South America — and decided to plant it for his people. However, it quickly became clear that his subjects didn’t like being told what to eat. Determined to see the potato thrive, Fritz cleverly used reverse psychology to pique his people’s curiosity and make the crop popular, and the potato has flourished ever since. Potato-stamp illustrations throughout are simple and effective, exhibiting Niemann’s trademark wit and playfulness. The book includes a short informational note on the historical background to the story. Readers will be interested to discover how one of today’s most common foods likely rose to popularity and may also be inspired by the king’s creative problem solving
The Dark And The Light
He is pining away because he has lost his home and has lived in the dark ever since. One day, the shaggy creature is overcome with curiosity and ventures out to the edge of the darkness. There, bathed in sunlight and bright colors, lives a very different and gentle creature.
Featured in WOW Review Volume XII, Issue 3
Questions I Am Asked About The Holocaust
“There are no stupid questions, nor any forbidden ones, but there are some questions that have no answer.” Hédi Fried was nineteen when the Nazis snatched her family from their home in Eastern Europe and transported them to Auschwitz, where she and her sister were forced into hard labor until the end of the war. Now ninety-four, she has spent her life educating young people about the Holocaust and answering their questions about one of the darkest periods in human history. Questions like, “How was it to live in the camps?” “Did you dream at night?” “Why did Hitler hate the Jews?” “Do you see yourself in today’s refugees?” and “Can you forgive?” With sensitivity and complete candor, Fried answers these questions and more in this deeply human book that urges us never to forget and never to repeat.
You Can Do It, Bert! (Gecko Press Titles)
Bert has been preparing for this for a long time. He is ready, mentally and physically. But before he takes the plunge, he might need a bit of encouragement from his friends. You can do it, Bert!
Do Fish Sleep?
Ten-year-old Jette wrestles with the death of her younger brother, Emil, at age six, recalling special times they had together, his long-term illness, and his funeral, as well as her parents’ grief.
Featured in WOW Review Volume XII, Issue 3
The Grand Escape
At the height of World War I, as battles raged in the trenches and in the air, another struggle for survival was being waged in the most notorious POW camp in all of Germany: Holzminden. A land-locked Alcatraz of sorts, it was home to the most troublesome Allied prisoners–and the most talented at escape. The Grand Escape tells the remarkable tale of a band of pilots who pulled off an ingenious plan and made it out of enemy territory in the biggest breakout of WWI, inspiring their countrymen in the darkest hours of the war.
Der Fliegende Hut
A hat belongs on the head. But then a gust of wind comes and carries it away. The hat wanders to a duck, a dog, the monkey steals it from the girl, a man loses it to the goat. Until the boy discovers him on a snowman and puts him back on. A lucky hat! A masterful picture book without words to discover, tell and fly along.
A Surprise for Mrs. Tortoise
Mrs. Tortoise and Birdie are very close friends. One morning, Mrs. Tortoise sees her reflection in the pond and realizes her shell is worn out, and she feels old and sad. Then Birdie comes along with an idea to cheer her up.
The Red Ribbon
As 14-year-old Ella begins her first day at work she steps into a world of silks, seams, scissors, pins, hems and trimmings. She is a dressmaker, but this is no ordinary sewing workshop. Hers are no ordinary clients. Ella has joined the seamstresses of Birkenau-Auschwitz, as readers may recognise it. Every dress she makes could mean the difference between life and death. And this place is all about survival. Ella seeks refuge from this reality, and from haunting memories, in her work and in the world of fashion and fabrics. She is faced with painful decisions about how far she is prepared to go to survive.