The Little Lion

Author: Nancy Wright Beasley

Laibale Gillman was naturally brave. At the age of four, he rescued his older brother from a large, ferocious dog by distracting the snarling animal with a rake while Moshe — who was terrified of dogs — ran into the house. Because of this bravery, Laibale’s mother nicknamed him “the little lion.”

Laibale also had an innate mechanical ability. He used this ability to work on his motorcycle and to fix things for his mother and neighbors.

At 15 years old, Laibale raced motorcycles. In this opening scene, Laibale was determined to win the race, to beat the other boys who now attended Catholic school and teased him for being a Jew. When Joel, a friend participating in the race, crashed into Mr. Todras’s potato cart, Laibale’s quick reactions allowed him to avoid the accident, speed along, and win the race.

Laibale was a typical teenager living in Kaunas, Lithuania, when Nazi troops forced his family and thousands of other Jews into Kovno Ghetto, where they endured persistent threats of beatings, starvation, and death.

In the ghetto, Laibale’s skills came in handy. His ability to work on engines proved useful and allowed him to have some freedoms within Kovno Ghetto, as the Nazis found him to be a valuable asset. Laibale took advantage of the freedoms and also took additional risks over a two-year period of escaping the barbed-wire fence to return with food, medicine, and hope. Laibale, showing courage beyond his years and living up to his nickname, devised a plan that helped several of his family members escape to freedom — at a time when some 40,000 individuals (the vast majority of them Jews) were being executed within a few miles.

Without having read the acknowledgments, a reader would not know that this book was the thesis for the author’s MFA in children’s literature. The book is well-written, and the scenes are extremely vivid. The author uses few words to develop entire scenes and involve the reader as a participant in the story.

As a rare privilege, this book was adapted for a screenplay where the Nazi horrors came to life. This book — and the play — shares the risks Jews took to survive. The timeless messages are presented in a way that will grab the readers’ attention and keep them hooked until the end.

This book is a good educational read for young adults learning about the Holocaust, but it is also an excellent read for all readers as a great reminder of what occurred in 1941. The Little Lion emphasizes the importance of being brave and selfless in a time of German oppression. This book is sure to spark discussion among fellow readers.

The Little Lion: A Hero in the Holocaust is the remarkable story of a teen’s heroism during the horrors of the Holocaust.

Izzy’s Fire

Author: Nancy Wright Beasley

Bravery was rare during the Holocaust in Lithuania, as many people tried to keep their head down and simply survive. However, the bravery of one small Catholic family saved thirteen Jews.

Chapter 1 opens in the year 1943 in the Kovno Ghetto with Edna Ipson, her son, and her husband escaping in the middle of the night. The tension is strong, and the details are vivid. Edna climbs up on a wagon, and once seated, she regrets how she climbed up, worried that she may have lost a button from her sweater. It is too dark to see, but she slides her hand along her sweater’s edge, counting the buttons. One . . . two . . . three . . . four . . . five. All there!

The reader is quickly captivated by this family to discover if they survive their escape. However, the next few chapters take the reader back in time, leaving the reader to continue wondering and unable to put the book down. Several chapters describe Edna’s life in Lithuania before the Nazis entered. Their simple but happy life was filled with family, friends, and love until 1941. Their life even included a baby daughter, leading the reader to wonder where this baby was during the escape from Kovno Ghetto.

Edna was given the nickname “Izzy’s Fire” when she was young and her husband’s sisters were trying to convince their mother to allow Edna and Izzy to marry. She was called “Simchah Fire,” everlasting flame or unquenchable fire. Izzy’s parents had wanted him to marry a wealthy woman so he could rise in society.

Nancy Wright Beasley is a gifted writer. She is able to keep the information accurate while entertaining the reader at the same time. Beasley brings the characters to life and helps the reader relive the events through the eyes of Edna. She showcases the tensions between family members who make different decisions and shares how families are ripped apart emotionally and physically.

As of 2015, five of the thirteen Jews that were saved were still living. Beasley interviewed survivors and read memoirs, which led her on a seven-year journey of Edna Ipson. This enlightening and empowering book was nominated for a People’s Choice Awards in 2006.