Books

Top 5 books to teach children about the Holocaust, chosen by Jeremy Dronfield

The author and historian selects five books that teach the Holocaust to children in an age-appropriate way

Exhibit at Yad Veshem Holocaust Museum, Israel

Yad Veshem Holocaust Museum, Israel. Image: Eelco Böhtlingk on Unsplash

1. The Missing by Michael Rosen

A story of learning and discovery. Through family tales, narrative and poetry, the children’s author uncovers his own family’s Holocaust stories.

2. After the War by Tom Palmer

Based on the true story of children who survived the Holocaust and were brought to the Lake District, the novel tackles the subject through flashbacks and the children’s reactions to the comforts of life outside the camps.

3. Once by Morris Gleitzman

This is the story of a Polish Jewish boy who escapes his orphanage to look for his family. His naivety is eroded as he stumbles upon signs of the horrors of the Holocaust.

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4. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, abridged by Mirjam Pressler

Edited to make it accessible for children, this essential text depicts the plight of living in hiding, beneath the surface of Nazi-occupied society.

5. The Promise by Eva Schloss and Barbara Powers

The memoir of a childhood playmate of Anne Frank, who hid in the same building. Like Anne, Eva was found by the Nazis and sent to Auschwitz. Unlike Anne, Eva and her mother survived the Holocaust and returned to Amsterdam.

Holocaust Memorial Day is on January 27

Fritz and Kurt book cover

Fritz and Kurt by Jeremy Dronfield, illustrated by David Ziggy Greene, is out now (Puffin, £8.99). You can buy it from The Big Issue shop on Bookshop.org, which helps to support The Big Issue and independent bookshops.

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