It’s March 1939. Anni Blum, age 12, and her rambunctious little sister Rosie are put on a train leaving Nazi-occupied Vienna, Austria, for England. Papa is in a labor camp and Mutti (mommy), realizing that things will not get better, has worked hard to arrange forged passports and domestic servant visas via relatives in England.
The frightened girls are squeezed into seat next to a man reading the Nazi newspaper. After quick thinking that prevents them from being discovered and thrown off the train, they knit and practice English phrases. At dawn, they cross into Holland, take the ferry to England, and are picked up by their snooty new aunt and uncle. They arrive in a village that — like all England — is deep in preparations for war. At their new family’s country house, they meet equally snooty teenage cousin Ronald, who finds their accents hilarious, and neighbor lads who accuse them of being German spies.
Over the next two years, they must learn a new language and culture and move forward from memories of the past that haunt them. They dig a backyard bomb shelter, make blackout curtains, cook with rationed ingredients, write letters home using a secret code, and become comfortable with Jewish traditions. When their uncle faces an impossible dilemma, they cleverly figure out how to help refugee families arrive in the USA with more than the shirts on their backs.
Finally, in Brooklyn, they rebuild the knitting table of Vienna with new, multicultural American friends.
Many stories about Jewish children in World War II are about what others did to save them. This one is about what they do — and what they build, one stitch at a time, across two continents.
The Secret Buttons is written and designed by local author and designer Ellen Shapiro, who lives and works, as she puts it, “on the Irvington/Tarrytown border.”
Although it was written to gently introduce middle graders and young teens to the Holocaust and World War II — no terrifying concentration camp and death scenes — the book is gaining fans of all ages. Illustrated by Caterina Baldi, a leading Italian artist, it was published by Ellen’s company, Visual Language Books. It’s available on Amazon in four formats. Hardbound copies are at Transom Books in Tarrytown, and discounted, signed copies are available at TheAlphagramShop.etsy.com.
Ellen says she’s been writing for her whole career: copy for client projects; articles in design magazines; books about the graphic design business. She’s developed a suite of learning materials to help all children learn to read, write, and spell, available at TheAlphagramShop.etsy.com, including “Is It a Word–Or Not?” flip-book, which makes more than 1,200 consonant-vowel-consonant words and syllables.
“I fell in love with the River Towns immediately upon my first visit here,” Ellen says. “The charm, the great schools, the proximity to New York City—what’s not to love? In 1992, when my son was entering fifth grade, we were lucky to find a Midcentury Modern fixer-upper off Sunnyside Lane and have been happily living here ever since.”
She’s a member of the Garden Club of Irvington and has enjoyed volunteering as horticulture co-chair and communications chair. She’s also a longtime member of Woodlands Community Temple where she’s been adult learning co-chair and designer of the temple prayerbook. She adds, “I’m also a percussionist and play in the bands at Pleasantville Community Synagogue, Temple Beth Shalom in Hastings, and Romemu in NYC. I love keeping busy, especially reading, writing, designing, and working in my garden during this beautiful time of year.”
