Maybe some of you have already discovered this treasure--I hope so. Candace Fleming wrote a fictional version of her mother's experience sending material aid to a family in Holland following WWII. Boxes For Katje starts with a young girl, Rosie, sending Katje a simple box through a children's humanitarian program. When Rosie receives the letter Katje send back, expressing her appreciation and disclosing a bit about how desperate her family is, Rosie and her mom decide to send a more generous box.
Katje writes back, prompting Rosie and her mom and many of their friends to send even more things to Holland, until finally, by the end of the story, Rosie's hometown basically adopts Katje's town and supports them through the brutal winter that followed the close of the war.
I cried. The pictures were fantastic. I loved watching the circle of concerned people grow as the two towns, an ocean apart, became more entwined. It is beautifully written and I loved it.
There is a program that allows you to send a box of supplies to someone in the world and track it. Maybe my friend Becky will chime in here with the name of the program. This book would be a great precursor to sending out one of those boxes for Christmas or a FHE on service or charity or love.
Even if all you do is check out the book and read it--do it! We happen to be talking about the Golden Rule at our house right now (because Mom needs more practice), so my kids made a lot of connections between the book and the golden rule.
Gold Star book for sure.
