Module 10-Historical Fiction
-Picture
Book
The Greatest Skating Race: A World War II Story From the Netherlands by Louise Borden
ISBN: 978-0-6898-4502-4
Audience (according to School Library Journal):
Grades 2-5
Borden,
L. (2004). The greatest skating race: A
world war II story from the Netherlands.
New York, NY: Margaret K.
McElderry Books.
Pricing
(as of 11/12)
*Amazon: Hardcover:
$14.21
Book Summary
Ten-year-old
Piet dreams of racing in the Elfstedentocht, a 200 km ice skating event through
eleven towns in the Netherlands. World
War II hits close to home when the father of two of Piet’s friends is arrested
for illegal radio transmissions and the children must be taken to safety with
an aunt in Belgium. A risky decision is
made and Piet is to skate with the two children to the town of Brugge, avoiding
German soldiers and doing their best to look like innocent youngsters on their
way to an aunt’s for a friendly visit. The 16 kilometer route is exhausting and
soldiers are posted along the canals, but Piet, Johanna, and Joop know that it
is their only choice.
AA APA Reference
Borden, L. (2004). The greatest skating race: A world war II story from the Netherlands. New York, NY: Margaret K. McElderry Books.
AP Impressions
History becomes an adventurous story
in this picture book by Louise Borden.
Readers will not view this work as dull social studies, but will instead
be caught up in the hair-raising trip across miles of ice with soldiers on the banks
asking questions and waving guns.
Athletic young people will make a connection to Piet’s dream of
completing a grueling race that was won by his hero in an earlier time. And lovers of art will appreciate Daly’s
watercolors as they enhance the story.
Fans of fiction and non-fiction will both find something to love in this
terrific Bluebonnet nominee from 2007.
Professional Reviews
<< This
slice of historical fiction celebrates the bravery and resourcefulness of
children. In the winter of 1941, 10-year-old Piet, a strong skater, is enlisted
to lead his two young neighbors from Holland to safety over the ice to
relatives in Belgium after their father is arrested for sending messages to the
allied forces. The three children leave their home in Sluis and bravely skate
16 kilometers on the canals to Brugge. They outwit and hide from German
soldiers and make it to their destination in one long, difficult day. Told with
immediacy and suspense from Piet's point of view, the engaging narrative is
arranged in columns, which is an ideal structure to relate the action in short
sentences. Readers learn about the Elfstedentocht, a 200-kilometer skating race, and the boy's hero, skater Pim Mulier. The gorgeously detailed
watercolor illustrations capture a sense of the time. The subdued, winter hues
of brown and smoky gray are those often found in the oil paintings of Dutch and
Flemish masters and match the quiet tone of the text. The book's format
maximizes the drama and expanse of the landscape. Use this picture book to
introduce curricular units and to give youngsters a vivid child's-eye view of
the past.
Brommer,
S., & Grabarek, D. (2004). The greatest skating race: A world war II story
from the Netherlands. School Library Journal, 50(12), 98-98. Retrieved
from http://www.slj.com.
<< …Piet's taut narrative is set verse-style on broad,
snowy pages. Daly's colored pencil and watercolor illustrations evoke the
story's drama with eloquent body language, its seriousness with winter grays
and browns enhanced with deep reds, and the somber, flat landscape in a few
deft strokes. Borden adds an epilogue plus notes on skating and the Elfstedentocht. Handsome, carefully researched,
this picture book makes a fine introduction to the period.
Long,
J. R. (2004). The greatest skating race: A world war II story from the
Netherlands (book). Horn Book Magazine, 80(5), 564-565. Retrieved from http://www.hbook.com.
Library Uses
With the theme of
bravery/courage/heroism, a librarian could easily find several other titles
with the same theme and develop an exciting book talk for middle elementary
aged students. Other books from the time
period could be added to a bibliographic list and provided to Social Studies
teachers when the time period of World War II is being taught. The concepts of perspective and point of view
could be illustrated using The Greatest Skating Race (10 year old boy), Boxes
for Katje (poor, young girl), Baseball Saved Us (Japanese boy in an
internment camp) and The Tuskegee Airmen
(African American men). Bibliographic lists of historical fiction should
be maintained for the time periods studied on the librarian’s campus in order
to support and enhance instruction in the classroom.
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