The Holocaust is such a difficult topic to teach to children, and yet such an important part of history for a young student to learn about. These books help children become familiar with the Holocaust in a gentle way. The children’s books in this list include historical fiction and nonfiction books and introduce children to topics such Nazi death camps, resistance fighters, and many true events of the Second World War.
Miep and the Most Famous Diary: The Woman Who Rescued Anne Frank’s Diary by Meeg Pincus
This is a moving, inspiring, and beautifully sorrowful telling of the story of Anne Frank through the eyes of Miep Gies, based on her own first-hand account. It is the story of how Miep met the Frank family, became friends with Anne, and helped to hide the Franks in the Secret Annex. The story tells us how the Frank family was betrayed and found by Nazi soldiers, how Miep stood up to the soldiers and saved Anne’s diary, which is how we came to have Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. This is a unique perspective on the story of Anne Frank. Highly recommend!
The Whispering Town by Jennifer Elvgren
Based on a real event, this is a fictional account of how the people of a Danish town came together in a very unique way to help guide a Jewish family to safety during the Holocaust. This is a simple and easy book to read, and the story is free of the more disturbing details about the Holocaust, which makes this book a good choice for very young children. The story features a young boy who helps his family hide and take care of Jewish refugees, then acts bravely to protect and help them escape to freedom. The story is told from the boy’s perspective, which gives it a tone of innocence and simplicity. This is overall a hopeful and inspiring Holocaust book for kids.
The Yellow Star: The Legend of King Christian X of Denmark by Carmen Agra Deedy
As the title says, this story is a legend; it is unknown whether the events in the book actually took place. The story, however, is a beautiful representation of the kind of courage and compassion that the Danish people truly demonstrated toward the Jewish people during World War II. It is about how beloved King Christian selflessly defied the Nazis and stood with his Jewish subjects (which is historical fact). The part that is legend in the story is that King Christian asks all of his subjects to wear gold stars, Jews and non-Jews alike, in order to prevent targeted persecution of the Jews. This is one of my favorite Holocaust picture books.
The Harmonica by Tony Johnston
The story of how a young Jewish boy uses music to cling to hope and help others do the same. The young boy who is the main character of the story was left an orphan by the Nazis and imprisoned in a concentration camp. He copes with his grief and despair by playing his harmonica, and finds that his music lifts and touches others as well, including Nazi soldiers. Based on the true story of Holocaust survivor, Henryk Rosmaryn. While heartbreaking and raw, it is also beautiful and inspiring. Beautifully written with beautiful illustrations to match. I recommend previewing this book before reading it to make sure it is appropriate for your young audience, especially if you have very sensitive children.
Bartali’s Bicycle: The True Story of Gino Bartali, Italy’s Secret Hero by Megan Hoyt
This is an amazing true story about bicyclist Gino Bartali who used his speed and fame to help with the Italian Resistance during WWII. Bartali is a lesser-known hero of World War II, who used really ingenious methods to deliver messages and avoid detection by the Nazi soldiers, which makes this book a delightful discovery. Bartali helped save over 800 Jews in Italy through his efforts. This is a fantastic and inspiring picture book about the Holocaust that is appropriate for all ages. I’d consider it a must-read!
Always Remember Me: How One Family Survived World War II by Marisabina Russo
This is a true account of a Jewish family’s experiences in Nazi Germany during WWII, told by a grandmother to her granddaughter. There is some heavy material here – Kristallnacht (The Night of Broken Glass) and concentration camps are mentioned, though not in much detail – you may want to preview the story before reading it to young or sensitive children. I thought it was a very good window into what life was like for Jewish people during the war.
Irena Sendler and the Children of the Warsaw Ghetto By Susan Goldman Rubin
An account of Irena Sendler, a Polish humanitarian, nurse, and social worker, and the hundreds of Jewish children that she managed to hide from the Germans during the occupation of Poland. This story shares a lot of tragic details of the human suffering during the Holocaust, including the way children had to part from their families in order to be saved, and disturbing events, such as the way Irena was tortured by the Germans when she was caught, so you may want to preview the book before sharing it with your children. Definitely a worthwhile read.
Jars of Hope: How One Woman Helped Save 2,500 Children During the Holocaust by Jennifer Roy
This is another book about Irena Sendler. This story tells readers about how from the time she was a young girl Irena wanted to help people, so she became a social worker. When the Nazi’s invaded Poland she knew the Jewish people that had been forced into the Warsaw ghetto desperately needed aid, so she began to smuggle in food, and later, smuggle out children, in order to save their lives. She kept records of the children and their families, hoping to reunite them someday, and buried the records in the ground in jars. This is an inspiring account of Irena Sendler’s compassionate work during World War II, but the content will not be appropriate for all children – it gives some details about how Irena was tortured when she was arrested, and the idea of children being taken from their families will of course be troubling to many young children, so please preview the book before sharing it with your little ones.
Luba: The Angel of Bergen-Belsen as told to Michelle R. McCann by Luba Tryszynska-Frederick
This is an amazing true story of a woman who went to great lengths at her own peril to save orphaned Jewish boys and girls in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. This story is deeply moving and inspiring but also heavy because of the terrible realities of the war. It recounts children being taken from their parents and being left in the woods to die, and gives details about the starvation and hardships experienced by the prisoners of Bergen-Belsen. Luba did many risky things that could have cost her her life in order to rescue the children from the woods and obtain food for them. I highly highly recommend this beautiful story, but exercise caution with young readers who might find it too disturbing. My sensitive seven-year-old handled it just fine, however.
Star of Fear, Star of Hope by Jo Hoestlandt
As a rule, I only include books on my book lists that I really like. I’m breaking the rule with this one. While it is interesting and well-written, I do not like this book. I dislike it because it’s sad and painful and leaves the reader with those feelings at the end, but I’m including it because I think the emotions it evokes are exactly why it is valuable to a study of the Holocaust. This is a story about a little girl who loses her best friend to the Nazis, never to see or hear from her again. She never learns what has become of her. There is no happy ending here. It is sad with no real redemption, which makes it a poignant window into the reality of the lives of European Jews during the Holocaust and makes this a valuable book for Holocaust education.
Anne Frank by Josephine Poole
This is an excellent story about Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl who went into hiding during the occupation of Holland by the Nazi party. The book tells about Anne’s early childhood, her family, her friends, and gives us details about Anne’s personality and her relationships. The book then details the flight of Anne’s family from Germany to Holland and Anne’s later experience in hiding, in a condensed picture-book form. This is the only picture book I have seen that explains why Adolf Hitler targeted the Jews and how he was able to convince others to hate them as well. Anne Frank’s story is tragic, of course, but the book touches on the horrors of the Holocaust lightly enough to keep the book appropriate for young children. One of my top pics for a picture book about the Holocaust. Highly recommend!
The Promise by Pnina Bat-Zvi and Margie Wolfe
This is the true story of two sisters who helped each other survive the concentration camp Aushwitz. The story is sad and talks about life in a concentration camp, but with a light touch that keeps it suitable for young children.
The Cat Who Lived with Anne Frank by David Lee Miller
Tells the story of Anne in hiding through the point of view of the cat who lived in the Annex with her. This is a great book for young, sensitive children because the story is warm and upbeat in tone, but still effective at introducing the difficult subject of the Holocaust.
Nicky and Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued by Peter Sis
This is the true story of a young man who helped over 600 Jewish children escape from Czechoslovakia to the safety of London during the Nazi occupation. Nicholas Winton canceled a ski vacation and began helping Jewish refugees in Prague, almost on a whim, and dedicated himself to helping place as many Jewish children with foster families in England as he could. His story is woven with Vera’s story, who was one of the children he actually helped save. We learn in the story that many of the children who start a new life in England never see their families again, in most cases because their parents have been killed. The story highlights the horrible tragedies of the Holocaust, but also how the evil of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi’s was thwarted by regular people doing heroic things.
Hold On to Your Music: The Inspiring True Story of the Children of Willesden Lane by Mona Golabek and Lee Cohen
This is a beautiful picture book about a little Jewish girl named Lisa Jura who lived in Vienna before World War II broke out. Lisa’s parents sent her to London through the Kindertransport in order to keep her safe. Lisa was an accomplished pianist, and despite being displaced and far from her family, Lisa brought hope to other refugee children through her music, and went on to become a concert pianist. This true story is told in a gentle way that makes it a good choice for younger readers.
The Tower of Life: How Yaffa Eliach Rebuilt Her Town in Stories and Photohraphs by Chana Stiefel
This is one of my favorite books about the Holocaust. It tells the true story of Yaffa, a young Jewish girl who grew up in a small village in Poland. Yaffa’s village was destroyed and all of her Jewish neighbors were killed or taken away by the Nazis. Yaffa’s family was fortunate to have been able to escape, but Yaffa endured many hardships in hiding for the duration of the war. As an adult, Yaffa paid tribute to the lives of the people of her village that were lived and lost though creating the Tower of Life, an exhibit at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C.. This book is sad, but gentle enough in it’s details and descriptions that it is still appropriate for young children.
Hidden Hope: How a Toy and a Hero Saved Lives During the Holocaust by Elisa Boxer
The gorgeous illustrations in this book complement the beautiful true story of a young Jewish girl named Judith Geller who worked for the French Resistance. Judith secretly delivered documents that gave Jewish people a fake identity and saved over 200 lives. She used an unexpected hiding place for the forged documents that she delivered – the inside of a wooden toy! There is a photograph of the actual toy duck that Judith used, which is pretty cool to see. The courage of this young girl is stunning, and the story is told in a lovely, lyrical way. This picture book is a feast for the eyes, the ears, and the heart. We loved this one and I highly recommend it!
Francesco Tirelli’s Ice Cream Shop by Tamar Meir
This is the sweet story of a man who hid Jews in his ice cream shop in Hungary to shield them from Nazi soldiers. This book is based on real events and is tame enough for very young children.
The Cats in Krasinski Square by Karen Hesse
This is a beautiful fictional story based on true events that took place in Warsaw, Poland during World War II. Resistance fighters used cats to distract the dogs of German soldiers in order to smuggle food to the starving Jews in the Warsaw ghetto. The text is poetic and the illustrations are lovely, complementing this touching tale of courage and compassion. The author’s note at the end of the book explains more about the event and the Warsaw ghetto.
Stars of the Night: The Courageous Children of the Czech Kindertransport by Caren Stelson
This picture book tells the story of the Kindertransport from Prague from the point of view of the Jewish boys and girls who rode it to safety. The story is painful to read because it puts the reader in the shoes of the children who had to leave their families, which is heart-wrenching to imagine. The writing is poignant and effectively conveys the sorrow of the children and families who were separated. At the end, the book tells about Nicholas Winton, one of the people who helped arrange passage on the Kindertransport and who saved 669 Jewish children. Though it is difficult and emotional, it is a powerful and worthwhile read. I recommend the book, and I also recommend previewing it to make sure it is appropriate for the children you intend to share it with, since it is on the heavy side.
Benno and the Night of Broken Glass by Meg Wiviott
This story is told from the point of view of Benno, a neighborhood cat who was cared for by many different families in Berlin, Germany. Benno witnesses how life changes for the Jewish people in his neighborhood at the onset of World War II, and the terrible destruction of the Night of Broken Glass. This story is told about as gently as it can be, since it is dealing with an inherently disturbing and horrible subject. This is a good book for introducing children to the Holocaust and opening a discussion about the treatment of Jews by the Nazis.
The Tree of Life: How a Holocaust Sapling Inspired the World by Elisa Boxer
This is a true story about how a group of Jewish children and their teacher kept hope alive in the prison camp Terezin. The children planted a smuggled-in sapling, and watered it by sharing a few drops each of their tiny water ration. By the end of the war, few of the children were left to take care of it, but it had miraculously grown into a strong five-foot-tall maple tree. The children’s teacher, Irma, sent seeds from the tree all around the world to be planted in memory of the children of Terezin. One of the descendants of the maple tree is The Children’s Tree, which can be visited in New York City.
I hope you and your child enjoyed these picture books about the Holocaust, and that they enhanced your study of this very difficult subject. Are there any picture books on the Holocaust that you would add to this list?
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