The Butterfly by Patricia Polacco

War. Children know the word, but do not necessarily know the consequences of it. In the story The Butterfly by Patricia Polacco, Polacco tells the story of Monique, a young French girl who realizes the challenges and prejudice faced by Jews in France. One night, Monique mistakes a Jewish girl named Severine as a "little ghost," but then realizes Severine and her family live in her house hidden in the basement. The two girls become friends and confidantes until one night a neighbor catches the sight of the two girls, causing an unplanned flight for Severine's Jewish family. Monique must watch her go.

Most striking to me was that this is a true story of the French Resistance. Polacco's aunt is Monique, whose mother Marcel was "part of the underground and resistance even before the Nazis occupied France." Accounts such as these always amaze me because I think of the risk involved with hiding Jewish families and being part of the resistance. Even from Monique's child perspective, she soon realized the unfair danger and threats Jewish families faced during World War II. Polacco's drawings depict dissipating childhood innocence and the reality of the times.

The title itself, The Butterfly, adds additional heartwrenching and heartfelt moments to the story. Nazis seize a butterfly Monique was looking at and crushes it in their fists. It is also a butterfly that causes Sevrine and her family to escape after Monique and Severine let the butterfly free. Finally, a gathering of butterflies arrives at the end of the story. The butterflies show the strive for freedom that the Jewish people long for despite obstacles such as violence and discrimination along the way. Yet, both the butterfly and Jewish family's long, difficult struggles will not last forever. According to young Monique, "It's a sign, Maman, a miracle! Severine sent them, I know it! She and her parents are safe!"

After the story, the author's note itself stirred raw emotions in me. A true story, two years after the liberation of France, Monique and Marcel received a letter that read, "Je vive! (I live) Sevrine." Stories such as The Butterfly reveal people's humanity even in the darkest times. Patricia Polacco is also the author of Pink and Say, which is an equally moving story about two unlikely friends during the Civil War who rely on each other during tough times. Polacco writes with her heart and soul in all of her stories. These two particular stories, The Butterfly and Pink and Say, which have been passed down from generation to generation, are striking and beautifully written in Polacco's prose.