The Cat With The Yellow Star, Elizabeth Winthrop

The Cat with the Yellow Star, Susan Goldman Rubin

Rubin, Susan Goldman, and Ela Weissberger. The Cat With The Yellow Star: Coming of Age in Terezin. New York: Holiday House, 2008. Print.

Rubin collaborated with Ela Weissberger to write the true story of a young girl, Ela, who was transported to the concentration camp, Terezin, in Czechoslovakia. Of the 10,632 children who were brought there, only 4,096 survived, and Ela was one of them. In room 28, she made friends through art and music. The children performed in the opera, Brundibar, where Ela got to play the important role of the cat, and for once, did not have to where the yellow star that labeled her as a Jew. Narrated with pictures from the time period really bring this story to life.


Electronic Resources:

An Educator's Guide 
This link directs you a .pdf file that is an educator's guide for navigating The Cat with the Yellow Star when reading it with students; it also includes historical context, as a guide.

CBS News: How the Nazis Conned the World
This link brings readers to the news article that examined the opera, Brundibar, in 2007. The article discusses the exploitation of the children that participated in the opera; Ela Weissberger was one of them. This article is an extension from the text, and may answer any lingering questions.


Teaching Suggestions:

Key Vocabulary:

biography
holocaust
concentration camp
Judaism
exploit
memoir
Czechoslovakia
Terezin
barracks

 Before Reading:
Activate students' prior knowledge concerning World War II and the holocaust. Ask students what they already know, and if they have any questions that will most likely be answered during the reading of the text. Assist students in locating  Czechoslovakia on the map in comparison to the other European countries. Encourage students to do any "pre-research" to help them make connections between the text and the holocaust.

Responding to the Text:
In partners or small groups, have students discuss other books that they have read that have been about survivors, similar to Ela. Encourage groups to examine the qualities of a survivor and what makes Ela similar to others that they have read about. After the groups disperse, ask individuals to reflect on the discussion as they consider their personal thoughts and the thoughts of their peers in response to The Cat with the Yellow Star.