Jella Lepman and Her Library of Dreams: The Woman Who Rescued a Generation of Children and Founded the World’s Largest Children’s Library

Paterson applauds the work of writer and translator Jella Lepman (1891–1970), who spearheaded a post-WWII effort to reeducate German youth, “mostly along the lines of an idealized American society.” Beginning with early adulthood, scene-setting storytelling notes Lepman’s major life milestones. After Hitler seizes control, promising “to make Germany great again,” Lepman—“one of the Nazis’ despised Jewish people”—flees, becoming a journalist abroad. At war’s end, the protagonist is recruited as an adviser on the educational needs of German women and children, and, despite initial reluctance, Lepman embraces the role with vigor, battling bureaucracy and working with limited funds to produce a children’s book exhibition that becomes the International Youth Library—itself a launchpad for the Young People’s United Nations. Deng’s digitally colored, monochromatic sketches incorporate historical photos. Amid real talk about war, there’s an optimism to be found in this lengthy profile of Lepman, presented here as a dogged champion for children and a believer in books. Ages 8–12. (Feb.)