ANNA AND THE SWALLOW MAN by Gavriel Savit. New York: Random House Children’s Books, 2016. 240p.
ISBN9780553513349 hc. $17.99 Gr.
7-12 YA FIC
Anna, only seven years old, finds herself alone on the doorstep of her locked apartment as her father, a linguistics professor, is rounded up with other intellectuals by German soldiers during the Nazi takeover of Poland. Her father’s friend, Herr Doktor Fuchsmann, deserts Anna when he realizes that her father is not returning from his meeting. A tall thin man, later named Swallow Man by Anna, recognizes her plight and sees potential for disguising himself, so he acts as her father as they both escape from the city. While keeping mostly to the forest for safety, the pair meets a Jewish musician, a peddler of questionable character, and an unscrupulous physician. There’s danger around every corner and the suspense never stops. Anna learns something from each of the father figures in the story, but the most valuable lessons come from her philosophical conversations about war and humanity with the Swallow Man. Communication is the overriding theme of the story. Anna’s father is a linguist who taught Anna to be fluent in several languages. Swallow Man also knows several languages, including “road,” an adaptation to local language that allows you to blend in and acquire what you need to survive while traveling. He also knows the chirping language of birds and what the vocalizations mean in the natural world, another skill for survival. This book is a study of relationships, how they evolve when war replaces the rules of civility, and the part of our humanity that is "hope.".
Anna, only seven years old, finds herself alone on the doorstep of her locked apartment as her father, a linguistics professor, is rounded up with other intellectuals by German soldiers during the Nazi takeover of Poland. Her father’s friend, Herr Doktor Fuchsmann, deserts Anna when he realizes that her father is not returning from his meeting. A tall thin man, later named Swallow Man by Anna, recognizes her plight and sees potential for disguising himself, so he acts as her father as they both escape from the city. While keeping mostly to the forest for safety, the pair meets a Jewish musician, a peddler of questionable character, and an unscrupulous physician. There’s danger around every corner and the suspense never stops. Anna learns something from each of the father figures in the story, but the most valuable lessons come from her philosophical conversations about war and humanity with the Swallow Man. Communication is the overriding theme of the story. Anna’s father is a linguist who taught Anna to be fluent in several languages. Swallow Man also knows several languages, including “road,” an adaptation to local language that allows you to blend in and acquire what you need to survive while traveling. He also knows the chirping language of birds and what the vocalizations mean in the natural world, another skill for survival. This book is a study of relationships, how they evolve when war replaces the rules of civility, and the part of our humanity that is "hope.".
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI
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