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Elsa's Chessboard
CCBC Review:
A passion for chess becomes a catalyst for human connection in this story based on actual events. Growing up in Vienna in the early 1900s, Elsa (white) defies gender expectations when she develops a skill for a game typically played by boys and men: chess. When she turns ten, her brothers present her with the “small wooden box with a latch that opened into a chessboard” that will accompany Elsa throughout her life. As an adult, she and her future husband, Edmund, enjoy a game on her chessboard at the library upon meeting for the first time, and later they play while their baby girl sleeps in a cradle beside them. The chessboard is among the few treasured possessions the Jewish family brings to the U.S. upon escaping Europe in the 1930s. When she finds work as a seamstress in San Francisco, chess becomes a shared language between Elsa and her English-speaking coworkers and bonds her to a group of women who want to learn the game. Later in life, when Elsa moves in with her grown daughter, the chessboard is packed away and, for many years, forgotten. It’s not until Elsa’s great-grandson accidentally discovers the latched box that Elsa returns to her beloved game, inspiring a love of chess in a new generation of her family. Young readers interested in chess will find ample resources on learning and playing in the end matter of this inspiring tale. ©2026 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by Julie Downing
CCBC Age Recommendation: 5-8
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
Girls and Women
Immigration and Immigrants
Jewish People
Diversity subject:
Jewish
Publishers:
Holiday House, Neal Porter Books
Publish Year: 2025
Pages: 40
ISBN: 9780823454082
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Andrus