Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oskar and the Eight Blessings | 2015 | T.R. Simon | Buy |
Oskar and the Eight Blessings is a picture book by Richard Simon and Tanya Simon (writing together as T.R. Simon), illustrated by Mark Siegel. Published in 2015, it tells the story of a young Jewish boy named Oskar who arrives alone in New York City, carrying only a photograph and an address for an aunt he has never met. The year is 1938, and he has escaped the horrors of Kristallnacht in Nazi Germany.
As Oskar walks the length of Manhattan on that winter evening, he encounters eight different New Yorkers from all walks of life, each of whom shows him kindness. The book includes cameos from Count Basie and Eleanor Roosevelt, and a map of 1938 Manhattan traces Oskar’s path. It won the National Jewish Book Award for Children’s Literature and was a Sydney Taylor Book Award notable.