The Sinking of the Patria

ABOUT THE BOOK

THE SINKING OF THE PATRIA tells the story of a lonely girl who finds an unexpected soulmate in her caretaker, a survivor of the Patria disaster. The story takes place in Haifa, Palestine (now Israel), during World War II, shortly after the SS Patria, a ship full of Jewish refugees from Nazi-occupied Europe, sank in Haifa Port. While illuminating the human toll exacted by the sinking of the Patria, this book tells a heartwarming story about the bonding of a lonely, empathetic young girl with one of the Patria's survivors.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born in Israel (then called "Palestine"), Judith Weinshall Liberman came to the United States in 1947 to pursue higher education. She earned four American university degrees including two in law, a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School and an LL.M. from the University of Michigan Law School. After settling in the Boston area in 1956, she studied art and creative writing. Beginning in the early 1960s, and for four decades thereafter, Ms. Liberman created numerous series of artworks. Her art has been widely exhibited, and is represented in the collection of museums and other public institutions. During her long career in visual art, Ms. Liberman wrote several books, among them some picture books. Her book THE BIRD'S LAST SONG (Addison-Wesley, 1976), which she also illustrated, won a citation as one of the "fabulous books of the year." Since 2012, she has published several additional picture books, including ICE CREAM SNOW, COLOR IN OUR WORLD, HAIFA, THE BEE AND THE BUTTERFLY, THE LITTLE SONGBIRD, THE BIRD WHO WENT TO HEAVEN, THE GIRL AND THE PIGEONS, WHAT WILL I BE?, LUCY AND THE SNOWMAN, IF I HAD A LITTLE SISTER, IF I WERE A MOM, THE SECRET, ANNE FRANK IN MY ART, RUTHIE AND HER ANCESTORS, AN INTRODUCTION TO MY JUDAICA ART, SHOP AND SHOP, RONNIE'S ALARM CLOCK, HEAVENLY GARDENS, HOLOCAUST PAINTINGS, HOMO SAPIENS, SELF PORTRAITS OF A HOLOCAUST ARTIST, YOUR GRANDPA, MY BIRTHDAY, THE FUTURE, and QUEEN ESTHER. Judith Weinshall Liberman's archives can be found in the Arts Department of the Boston Public Library and at the Smithsonian Archives of American Art.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

THE SINKING OF THE PATRIA is the twentyseventh book on which Judith Weinshall Liberman, the author, has collaborated with Gail Davis, the illustrator. Since Ms. Liberman did not feel that, in light of her deteriorated eyesight, she could do justice to illustrating THE SINKING OF THE PATRIA herself, she selected a fine artist, Ms. Gail Davis, to create the illustrations under the author's guidance. The two had previously collaborated on THE LITTLE FAIRY, THE VERY OLD PAINTER AND HER HUSBAND, ANGEL'S PUPPIES, THE GIANT HOUSE, THE MOUNTAIN, THE TUNNEL, THE OLD DOLL, FIFTEEN FABLES, TWELVE MORE FABLES, A PARAKEET FOR ERIC, TALES OF HUMAN FOIBLES, IN THE MILITRY CEMETERY, MORE TALES OF HUMAN FOIBLES, MICHAEL AND THE FLAG, IF I HAD THE POWER, IF I WERE RICH, THE WHIRLPOOL, THE LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET, TALE OF THE ROMAN NUMERALS, THE BRIDGE, GRANDMA'S GLASSES, THE RAINBOW, THE TRAIN, THE WAIING WALL, THE BLANKET, and EXPULSION. In the present book, Ms. Davis beautifully captures the spirit of the story and of its characters.