A Queen to the Rescue

Starred review from October 18, 2021
In this accessible, comprehensive picture book profile, Churnin introduces white Jewish activist Henrietta Szold (1860–1945), born in Baltimore and later Palestine-based, who, inspired by Queen Esther and the Purim story, devoted her life to assisting others. From founding night schools for adult immigrant language learners to editing for the Jewish Publication Society, both in the U.S., and providing interfaith health care, food, and education for individuals in Palestine, Szold took action when she saw those in need. Through the women’s social justice charity she founded—which she named Hadassah, after Queen Esther’s name in Hebrew—she even “saved 11,000 children” from Holocaust displacement in a program called Youth Aliyah. Elegant, assured prose (“The air was thick with tears for lost loved ones”), accentuated by facts and data, will keep readers absorbed alongside Nayberg’s engrossingly abstract, fluid illustrations, tinted in rich hues of blue-green and red. A moving biography of a lesser-known heroine. Back matter includes an author’s note, more information on Purim, a timeline, and a bibliography. Ages 8–13.