EBOOK
About
Key Selling Points
• It's the aftermath of World War II in Toronto and 10-year-old Barbara realizes that, while her father's away helping Jewish refugees in Europe, she has to be the one to solve the problem of the peacock living in their back garden before the winter comes.
• The Peacock delves into the experience of being Jewish in 1947 in Canada, what it was like to be a child during the war, the treatment of refugees by the world at large, and how the acts of kind individuals can make huge positive change.
• This historical fiction chapter book takes on a less-represented period of history, just after World War II, shining a light on the displaced persons living in encampments in Europe and what people tried to do to help, from the viewpoint of a Jewish Canadian family.
• The metaphor of the peacock (a stand-in for the refugees Barbara's father is helping) gives readers an entry point to think about displaced people but in a lighthearted way (with a happy ending).
• A bonus glossary will be online for readers interested in extra background about the book's context.
• Contains 22 black-and-white illustrations.
In this partially illustrated early chapter book set in 1947, when a young girl's father is away in Europe helping refugees, she is left to deal with a stray peacock who has arrived in her family's yard, much to her mother's dismay. The girl devises a plan to earn the peacock's trust and return it to its home at the zoo. Everyone needs a safe place to call home.
What do you do about a peacock in your backyard?
World War II has just ended and Barbara is waiting for things to get back to normal. But, instead, her father has to travel to Europe, leaving their Toronto home behind. His company has a plan to give Jewish refugees jobs as tailors so they can immigrate to Canada with their families. So Barbara gets left with her rabble-rousing brothers and her melancholy mother...and a peacock that has just moved into the backyard. Her mother won't go near it, and it clearly needs some other place to call home. The zoo says they don't have room for another animal, but they can't tell her how many they have. So what's one more? Barbara comes up with a plan involving peanut butter cookies and her trusty wagon to bring the peacock to a safe home at the zoo-before winter hits.
Based on the true story of the author's own grandfather, Sam Posluns, who, along with several other Jewish business leaders, created the "Garment Workers' Scheme" (aka The Tailor Project). This was a way of unlocking Canada's harsh immigration laws and providing many refugees with a safer and happier future.
Jennifer Tzvia MacLeod is a Canadian writer who lives in northern Israel. She writes award-winning books for Jewish kids and families, as well as fiction, nonfiction and poetry for a range of publications. She has won PJ Library's Author Incentive Award twice, along with the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators' Crystal Kite Award, the only peer-selected award for excellence in the field of children's literature.
Jaimie MacGibbon is a children's illustrator living in the small mountain town of Nelson in British Columbia. She is a self-taught artist who enjoys working with both traditional and digital media. Jaimie loves using expressive line work, playing with light and creating characters full of life. Her work celebrates the beauty of everyday life, curiosity and imagination.
"Told in short and digestible chapters, this chapter book packs a narrative punch…and provides a glimpse into a less well-known historical moment for readers to learn about."
"A touching and educational illustrated chapter book that highlights empathy, resourcefulness, and the importance of community. An enriching addition to library bookshelves."
• It's the aftermath of World War II in Toronto and 10-year-old Barbara realizes that, while her father's away helping Jewish refugees in Europe, she has to be the one to solve the problem of the peacock living in their back garden before the winter comes.
• The Peacock delves into the experience of being Jewish in 1947 in Canada, what it was like to be a child during the war, the treatment of refugees by the world at large, and how the acts of kind individuals can make huge positive change.
• This historical fiction chapter book takes on a less-represented period of history, just after World War II, shining a light on the displaced persons living in encampments in Europe and what people tried to do to help, from the viewpoint of a Jewish Canadian family.
• The metaphor of the peacock (a stand-in for the refugees Barbara's father is helping) gives readers an entry point to think about displaced people but in a lighthearted way (with a happy ending).
• A bonus glossary will be online for readers interested in extra background about the book's context.
• Contains 22 black-and-white illustrations.
In this partially illustrated early chapter book set in 1947, when a young girl's father is away in Europe helping refugees, she is left to deal with a stray peacock who has arrived in her family's yard, much to her mother's dismay. The girl devises a plan to earn the peacock's trust and return it to its home at the zoo. Everyone needs a safe place to call home.
What do you do about a peacock in your backyard?
World War II has just ended and Barbara is waiting for things to get back to normal. But, instead, her father has to travel to Europe, leaving their Toronto home behind. His company has a plan to give Jewish refugees jobs as tailors so they can immigrate to Canada with their families. So Barbara gets left with her rabble-rousing brothers and her melancholy mother...and a peacock that has just moved into the backyard. Her mother won't go near it, and it clearly needs some other place to call home. The zoo says they don't have room for another animal, but they can't tell her how many they have. So what's one more? Barbara comes up with a plan involving peanut butter cookies and her trusty wagon to bring the peacock to a safe home at the zoo-before winter hits.
Based on the true story of the author's own grandfather, Sam Posluns, who, along with several other Jewish business leaders, created the "Garment Workers' Scheme" (aka The Tailor Project). This was a way of unlocking Canada's harsh immigration laws and providing many refugees with a safer and happier future.
Jennifer Tzvia MacLeod is a Canadian writer who lives in northern Israel. She writes award-winning books for Jewish kids and families, as well as fiction, nonfiction and poetry for a range of publications. She has won PJ Library's Author Incentive Award twice, along with the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators' Crystal Kite Award, the only peer-selected award for excellence in the field of children's literature.
Jaimie MacGibbon is a children's illustrator living in the small mountain town of Nelson in British Columbia. She is a self-taught artist who enjoys working with both traditional and digital media. Jaimie loves using expressive line work, playing with light and creating characters full of life. Her work celebrates the beauty of everyday life, curiosity and imagination.
"Told in short and digestible chapters, this chapter book packs a narrative punch…and provides a glimpse into a less well-known historical moment for readers to learn about."
"A touching and educational illustrated chapter book that highlights empathy, resourcefulness, and the importance of community. An enriching addition to library bookshelves."
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