The Butterfly

Patricia Polacco creates this beautifuly story about a young girl in France during a time when Nazi soldiers occupy every inch of her home town. One night Monique, the main character, discovers a little girl in her room and soon unravels the mystery going on in the very basement of her own home. It seems that her mother, who is based on a real woman during the Holocaust, Patricia Polacco's aunt, has been hiding a Jewish family.
This book is an amazing way to get students thinking about heroism, racism, the Holocaust and the true meaning of freedom, which the butterfly is a symbol of throughout the book.
This book can be used for many different activities and can also be incorporated into many different units. A unit on the Holocaust would benefit greatly from this book not only because it takes place in that time period but also because it exemplifies the many brave people who fought against the Nazis in small but powerful ways. Monique's mother in the story is a wonderful example of social justice stage #4 because she takes social action and risks her life to save the lives of a Jewish family. The book also fits into stages, 2: Exploring issues of social justice, 3: social movements and social change and 4: Taking social action.