Review: A Queen to the Rescue
A Queen to the Rescue: The Story of Henrietta Szold, Founder of Hadassah
by Nancy Churnin, illustrated by Yevgenia Nayberg
Creston Books (imprint of Lerner Publishing)
Category: Picture Books
Reviewer: Beth Gallego
Growing up the daughter of a Rabbi in Baltimore just after the Civil
War, Henrietta Szold saw many people in need and wanted to help. She
took particular inspiration from the Purim story she heard every year.
Queen Esther - Hadassah in Hebrew - was her model of a brave woman
standing up for her people and making a difference.
Opportunities for women to help others, though, were limited. Szold was
not interested in the expected path of marriage and children. She became
a teacher, opened a night school for new immigrants to learn English
after work, and started the Jewish Publication Society.
After the turn of the century, she visited Jerusalem and saw children in
need of food and medicine. This was a job far too big for one person,
so Szold created a women’s charitable organization in 1912. In the
following decades, that organization - Hadassah - would send medical
aid to Jerusalem and rescue 11,000 Jewish children from Europe as Hitler
rose to power.
Churnin traces Szold’s life and work with key moments from childhood
until her death in 1945. The opening scene shows Szold as a child
contemplating the story of Queen Esther and wondering if she could be
that brave. The book comes full circle with a closing scene of Szold
with some Youth Aliyah children on the verge of their new lives. Young
readers can both identify with Szold in her own childhood and see that
as an adult she helped thousands of children just like them.
Nayberg’s illustrations beautifully provide mood and depth throughout
the work. When the text refers to the aftermath of the Civil War, the
difficulties faced by new immigrants, and the growing horrors of 1930s
Germany, the palette is dark and heavy, with layers of gray and black.
These contrast with scenes of Szold teaching, writing, and organizing,
in which bright colors are set against open white backgrounds.
The excellent back matter includes a timeline of Szold’s life, an
explanation of the Purim holiday and its significance to Szold, and an
author’s note with more biographical details.
This is an exceptional introduction to a little-known figure with a
major historical legacy. Hadassah is now the largest American Jewish
women’s organization and continues to fight hate and antisemitism while
working toward international health equity. Churnin keeps this
biography relevant to young readers by highlighting Szold’s work with
children, and the tone of the narrative reflects Szold’s determination
to do good in the world, even as dark events are depicted with
age-appropriate delicacy. It is a strong contender for the Sydney Taylor
award.
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