I Never Saw Another Butterfly: Childrn's Drawings & Poems Fr Terezin Concentration Camp,1942-44

This book of poetry and images is powerful yet simple. Having had prior experience with the play of the same name, I thought I was prepared, but I wasn't. The poetry and images those children of the Holocaust created are truly amazing. We've read Anne Frank and Elie Weisel, but these peopms of life in Terezin from a child's eyes is extremely powerful. Elia grew up too soon, and his books are of an adult's perspective...what the children saw and felt is much more powerfully represented in this book. It is a true must for poetry, WWII, or literature buffs alike!

I was recently in the play I never saw another butterfly. I played one of the children durning the holocaust. In the play I read a poem that was in the book I never saw another butterfly, and the poem brought me to tears. When our director brought in the actual book, and I read all of the other poems and saw all of the other drawings i was overwhelmed by the pain and struggle that was portrayed in the book. I hope that others are as lucky to read this book as i was.

...I never saw another butterfly... is a book which holds a collection of children's drawings and poems that were created at the Terezin concentration camp from 1942-1944. In this moving book several children's works are displayed, taken from a much larger collection. The book begins by telling the background of the Terezin concentration camp and then it lays out numerous beautiful pictures along with many moving poems. At the end of the book a short summary is given in the epilogue and afterword about the works of the children. Also included in the book is a catalog of the poems and drawings, naming the authors if known, their dates of birth, and their dates of death. ...I never saw another butterfly... is a moving illustration of what it was like for a child to live in a concentration camp during WWII. The drawings often depict a life full of beauty and it seemed amazing to me that the children were able to, at this time, see all the beautiful things around them even though they were in the midst of death. The poems on the other hand often portray the longing of wanting to be in a safe place elsewhere, and they also relate more of the harsh reality of what was really going on at the concentration camps. The book is tied together through the contrast of the brightly colored paintings with the dim spirit of the poems. The reader will instantly be amazed at the talents of these young children, most under the age of 14, and at the same time feel a horrible sense of pity for these children, whom most perished in Auschwitz. The book is a wonderful and diverse collection of works, although there could have been a more diverse collection of authors included, instead of multiple works by the same author. It is amazing to notice that some of the children who drew some of the pictures survived the war and even some have gone on to be artists today. This mere fact leaves the reader with a little bit of hope that the unforgettable memories of these children will forever be painted into the public, so that everyone can remember them in honor.

How do you rate a book like this?! There is no way to say whether a child's poem or picture is a 5 or a 10. Every page is exquisite, filled with the shocking reality that childhood existed during the Holocaust, even if brief. I first owned this book as a child. It haunted me then, and still does. What a blessing to rediscover it! I would say this book is appropriate for all. Truly, it is an intimate look at how the Holocaust affected our children. The power evoked from some of the pieces leaves a person very introspectrive. I remember bringing this book into show and tell, both in Hebrew school and elementary school. My teachers were able to use it as a good starting point for the discussion of the Holocaust, and other genocides. Use this book to educate yourself, and use it to educate others.