IMPORTANT UPDATE: Ernie's Books is now closed for 2023/2024. We are thrilled to have distributed 26,000 books to every school board in Ontario. Please register now to be prioritized for the 2024/2025 program.

We are so pleased that you want to use free age-appropriate books about the Holocaust to teach your Grade 6 classroom. All featured books have accompanying lesson plans and there will be a Challenging Stories Book Club event and other educational opportunities throughout the year. 

In 2023/2024, we featured To Hope and Back by award-winning Canadian author, Kathy Kacer. The book tells the true story of the 1939 voyage of the MS St Louis, a ship filled with Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany that was refused entry into Cuba, the US, and Canada, through the eyes of two child survivors and the heroic captain of the ship. Our educators have chosen this book for its ability to provide sensitive, age-appropriate historical context for the new grade 6 social studies curriculum expectations related to the Holocaust and Jewish history in Canada. This easy-to-read story is published by our generous partner, Second Story Press.

MORE ABOUT THE BOOK:

An ocean-liner carrying Jewish passengers can find no safe harbour...

Lisa and Sol board the luxury ship St. Louis in Hamburg, Germany on May 13, 1939 with mixed feelings. Lisa and her family are in first class; Sol and his parents are below in tourist class. Both children are excited to be beginning this voyage to a better life and sad to be leaving their old lives behind. They are Jewish, as are almost all of the 937 passengers on board, and although war has not been officially declared in Europe, the Nazis have been persecuting Jews for years. As they set sail for Cuba the atmosphere on the ship is optimistic, led by the German captain Gustave Schroeder, who is determined to see his passengers to safety. But as they learn that Hitler’s propaganda has turned the country against them, the mood changes to despair. They are turned away - first from Cuba, then the United States, and then Canada.

The story of Lisa and Sol is set against the tragic true history of the St. Louis. Denied entry from port after port, the captain was forced to return his Jewish passengers to Europe, where many died in the Holocaust. Through the eyes of Sol and Lisa we see the injustice and heartbreak that were caused by the prejudice and hatred of so many, and we are introduced to Canada's "None Is Too Many" shameful refusal to admit Jewish refugees in the years leading up to and during the Holocaust.

There are many excellent resources to help you teach this story at www.liberation75.org/ernie.

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Please note: This is the pilot year for Ernie's Books, established to support the introduction of mandatory Holocaust education in elementary schools in Ontario. Currently, Ernie's Books are only available for Ontario public and Catholic schools for Grade 6 students - and only in English. We encourage all Ontario teachers to apply.

If you are were not chosen to receive books in this first pilot, you will be prioritized for future distributions. 

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Please complete the following application form and note the following considerations: 
  1. You will be asked to include your intentions for how you will use these books in the classroom.
  2. Books should remain the property of the classroom and returned to you by your students to be used in subsequent years. 
  3. You will be expected to attend or view a recording of the Challenging Stories Book Club event about your book. This will give you the context and resources to help you teach this book most effectively.
  4. You and your students will be asked to complete a short survey prior to receiving your books and after you complete your book study. This will help us understand the impact of Ernie's Books in the classroom. 
  5. You will receive up to 32 books. Please remember to include a copy for yourself (the teacher).

Adresse e-mail *
Please confirm your e-mail address: *
What is your first name? *
What is your last name?  *
Which school do you teach at? *
What is your school's full address? *
What is your school's phone number? *
Which Ontario school board do you teach in? *
Class Set Quantity: How many books does your classroom need (maximum 32)? Please remember to include a copy for you/the teacher. *
Do you teach in a rural school? *
How do you plan to use these books in your classroom?  *
What level of knowledge about the Holocaust do your students have?  *
Obligatoire
Please confirm that you are a grade 6 teacher *
If you answered "No" to above, please explain
Other comments
For questions, please contact info@liberation75.org. 
Thank you for applying! 
Une copie de vos réponses sera envoyée par e-mail à l'adresse indiquée.
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