“The Whispering Town” by Jennifer Elvgren; Illustrated by Fabio Santomauro. (Kar-Ben Publishing, 2014.)
“Hidden: A Child’s Story of the Holocaust” by Loïc Dauvillier; Illustrated by Marc Lizano. (First Second, 2014.)
“Hidden Like Anne Frank: 14 true stories of Survival” by Marcel Prins and Peter Henk Steenhuis. (Arthur Levine Books, 2014.)
By Andrea Kempf
Contributing Reviewer
As we recall the Holocaust on Yom HaShoah this year, take a look at several newly published titles that will educate and inform younger members of the community, and indeed children everywhere, about the horrors of the Holocaust. All three books are about the goodness and bravery of people throughout Europe who hid Jewish children and protected them until the Germans were defeated.
“The Whispering Town” is set in a small Danish town where Jewish families are hiding until they can be smuggled onto a boat that will take them to freedom in Sweden. A young girl named Anett knows how to procure extra food, clothing and even library books for the guests in her family’s cellar. Then when a lack of moonlight prevents the guests from making their way to the boat waiting in the harbor, Anett devises a plan that she shares with her friends in the village. Everyone whispers directions to the fleeing guests. This whimsically illustrated book is charming and appropriate for children 3 years and up.
“Hidden” is for slightly older children, 6 years and up. In the book, grandmother Dounia tells her granddaughter Elsa about her experiences in Paris during the War. She is forced to wear a star on her clothes and removed from her school. Finally, her parents disappear and she is saved by strangers, moved from one location to another, anxiously awaiting news from her parents. When the Germans surrender, Dounia returns to Paris, but not to the life she had before. Telling her story to Elsa is the first time she’s told anyone in the family about her experiences. This book, illustrated by a noted French cartoonist, will be a page-turner for children as they want to discover how Dounia survived.
“Hidden like Anne Frank” is composed of 14 true stories related by elderly Dutch Jews who survived by being hidden. Young adults will find each story fascinating. Some stories are much sadder than others. Many of these children were hidden in families who were not altruistic, but being paid by the children’s families or the Resistance. Others were taken in by religious leaders who were acting out their duties to G-d. The Netherlands is a small country, and German soldiers were everywhere. Some of the hiding places these children experienced were wretched, others were much more pleasant. Most, but not all, of the narrators were reunited with their parents after the war. However, the younger ones often had difficulty relating to their original families. This collection of genuine experiences is harrowing, moving and eventually life-affirming. The author Marcel Prins is the son of one of the survivors. The book is a great introduction for young adults to what life was actually like for young Jewish children in The Netherlands during World War II. It is illustrated with photographs of the narrators when they were children and as they are today.
Andrea Kempf is a retired librarian who speaks throughout the community on various topics related to books and reading.
