4/5 Well done
  by Bruce S. Harner
I liked it. There was alot of suspense. It seemed there for awhile that the suspense didn't stop. It's amazing how this little boy survived, since a true story. Only one scene of a read nudity shot of the boy showering caught me off guard. But the over all film was well done.

4/5 A Boys Got to Do What a Boys Got to Do...
  by Kenneth A. Nelson (Pensacola, FL)
Finding himself left alone, except for "Snow" his pet mouse, this young Jewish boy is thrown into an exausting self-preservation mode when the Nazis are evacuating the Ghetto he lives in with his father and great uncle who are pulled away from him as they are being herded to the vehicles that will transport all the evacuees to their sure fated deaths in various consentration camps.

If he can only avoid detection by the Nazi Soldiers, the non-Jewish neighborhood kids/thugs and the ocassional path-crossings with others on the down-low. If he can make it through, what will he face next? What will be left of the world?

A wonderful story, superb acting and fantastic visuals to put you inside the Ghetto.

5/5 Teaching WWII with Island on Bird Street
  by Maribeth A. Hardy (SC)
This is a suspenseful account of a young man hiding from the Nazis in WWII occupied Poland. It is very helpful to use with students around the same age to teach them about the Nazi occupation. Students can do character studies, make predictions, draw conclusions, and develop alternative plot lines. This helps give a deep understanding of the situation for Jews and those in occupied Europe at that time. I begin with the book then use the film to compare and contrast. Fabulous!

5/5 ROBINSON CRUSOE, SNOW AND WITS
  by Loves To Read (Twin Cities, MN USA)
Based on a true story during WWII in Warsaw, Poland, it is the survival of an eleven year old Jewish boy separated from his father and uncle who are taken to work camps, from which no one returns. He has three things to sustain him: his pet white mouse, Snow; the book Robinson Crusoe; the promise of his father that he will return. The Nazis regularly patrol the bombed out buildings in the ghetto looking for stray Jews who may have escaped their clutches. It's survival in its most basic form. This overlooked film tells the amazing story of the imagination and wits of this 11 year old as lives day to day trying to survive against all odds. Ala Robinson Crusoe, he establishes a loft for himself in a bombed out building and uses every instinct he has to stay alive and not get captured. A fascinating story and well done film. Great camera work and editing. The many twists and turns in the story will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. Strong performance by Jordan Kiziuk as the 11 year old Alex.

5/5 Amazing story of a boy's resilience during the Holocaust
  by z hayes (plano,texas)
Based on the 1985 semi-autobiographical novel by Israeli author Uri Orlev, "The Island on Bird Street" portrays a young Jewish boy's attempts to survive in a ghetto in Poland during WW II. Young Alex [Jordan Kizuik] is reassured by his father Stefan[Patrick Bergin] that he will return to find Alex upon the war's end [Stefan had been selected for deportation]. Alex manages to escape a similar fate or worse by eluding the Nazis, with the help of his old uncle [Jack Warden] who sacrifices his life to save Alex.

Upon the ghetto's liquidation, Alex finds himself totally isolated and having to rely upon his wits to survive. His only constant companion is "Snow", a white mouse and Alex is also sustained by reading and re-reading passages from Robinson Crusoe [which also inspires him to survive using whatever resources he can find].

The drama of Alex's survival unfolds at a steady and suspenseful pace - Alex soon discovers that there are other Jewish refugees just like him who are hiding in the ravaged ghetto and time and again, he sees these Jews being caught by the Nazis whilst eluding capture himself. By sheer ingenuity, Alex builds a sort of treehouse for himself in one of the derelict buildings in the ghetto and stares out of a window out onto the other side of the ghetto, where Polish Gentiles lead relatively ordinary lives, seemingly untouched by the Nazi atrocities. Eventually, events necessitate Alex's venturing out to the Aryan side, and though he realises the risks, Alex's adventurous streak wins over his caution. He is also lucky in coming across Polish Gentiles who sympathise with his plight, such as a Catholic priest, a Polish doctor who works for the Polish underground, and even makes a friend, a young girl who is kind and accepting of Alex, even after finding out that he's a Jew.

Despite everything, Alex is adamant and determined to wait the war out in the remnants of the ghetto - and hoping against hope that he will be reunited with his father. Alex's resilience shines through every scene, as does his extraordinary courage, and the young actor that plays Alex has done an amazing job in bringing credibility to his role as the young boy with an indomitable spirit.

"The Island on Bird Street" is a unique Holocaust drama as it focuses on one individual's experience, that of a young boy. Another Holocaust drama that is told from a young boy's viewpoint is "Fateless", about a young Hungarian boy's experiences in a concentration camp during WW II. Both movies are quality productions with strong leads and a compelling storyline. Note to parents and teachers : there are scenes of some characters including Alex drinking liquor, and also one scene with nudity [of Alex's entire back as he is taking a shower].