The Cats in Krasinski Square by Karen Hesse

Illustrated by Wendy Watson

In WWII era Warsaw, a young girl has escaped the Ghetto and is hiding in plain sight, living as a Polish girl. “Polish words float from my lips and I am almost safe, almost invisible…I look like any child.” She and her older sister work as part of a resistance that has plans to smuggle a shipment of food to those still inside the Ghetto, but at the last minute they find out that the Gestapo knows about the shipment and plans to meet the train with dogs who can sniff out the smugglers. But the little girl thinks of a solution – she thinks of all the stray cats in Krasinski Square that she plays with regularly. The resistance gathers up the cats in bags and baskets, and releases them at the train station. The dogs give chase, and the smugglers escape among the chaos, successfully getting the food into the Ghetto. The story manages to touch on the cruelties and terror of WWII without using unnecessary details that might overwhelm very young readers. This small girl’s understanding of war and what it means to be an orphan is reflected softly in how she sees the stray cats she plays with. “They belonged once to someone…They purred…nuzzling the chins of their beloveds. Now they have no one to kiss their velvet heads.” Illustrations are light and warming watercolors that allow Watson to suggest at the ruined city in the background, but to focus on the hope conveyed by the girl and her cats. This would be great to share with older picture book readers who have had an introductory lesson about WWII. An author's note shares where Hesse came across the idea for this imaginary story, as well as some details of historical background.

"The play of light and the naturalness of the cats' poses are almost a comfort in a story that adults sense as keenly distressing, and that beckons for adult interpretation or guidance. What is clear is the immediate poignancy of these cats and the author's evocative language in describing them...They could be the Polish Jewry of the Warsaw Ghetto.” - School Library Journal

"Simple, graceful words and pictures make this adventure story a taut and moving one. Watson's illustrations -- watercolor, ink, and pencil -- reveal the girl's sensitivity and delicacy, while the artist's depiction of the cats seems to pay homage to Wanda Gág's Millions of Cats." - Horn Book