Children's books for Holocaust Memorial Day
by Sophie Green
Holocaust Memorial Day takes place each year on 27 January. Each year across the UK, thousands of people come together to learn more about the past and take action to create a safer future.
Take a look at our recommended titles for children.
The Girl Who Sang, by Estelle Nadel and Bethany Strout
Born to a Jewish family in a small Polish village, Estelle Nadel - then known as Enia Feld - was just seven years old when the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939. Once a vibrant child with a song for every occasion, Estelle would eventually lose her voice as, over the next five years, she would survive the deaths of their mother, father, their eldest brother and sister, and countless others.
Estelle would weather loss, betrayal, near-execution, and spend two years away from the warmth of the sun - all before the age of eleven. This book is a first-hand account written by Estelle Nadel for children learning about the Holocaust in the later stages of the primary curriculum.
Fritz and Kurt, by Jeremy Dronfield and David Ziggy Greene
In 1938, the Nazis come to Vienna. They hate anyone who is different, especially Jewish people. Fritz and Kurt's family are Jewish, and that puts them in terrible danger. Fritz, along with his father, is taken to a Nazi prison camp, a terrible place, full of fear. When his father is sent to a certain death, Fritz can't face losing his beloved Papa. He chooses to go with him and fight for survival.
Meanwhile, Kurt must go on a frightening journey, all alone, to seek safety on the far side of the world. In this extraordinary true story, Fritz and Kurt must face unimaginable hardships, and the two brothers wonder if they will ever return home.
Hidden Hope: How a Toy and a Hero Saved Lives During the Holocaust, by Elisa Boxer and Amy June Bates
The remarkable true story of how a toy duck smuggled forged identity papers for Jewish refugees during WWII. During World War II, families all across Europe huddled together in basements, attics, and closets as Nazi soldiers rounded up anyone Jewish. The Star of David, a symbol of faith and pride, became a tool of hate when the Nazis forced Jewish people to carry papers stamped with that star, so that it was clear who to capture.
But many brave souls dared to help them. Jewish teenager Jacqueline Gauthier, a member of the French Resistance who had to conceal her identity, was one who risked her life in secret workshops, forging papers with new names and without stars in order to help others escape. But how to get these life-saving papers to families in hiding? An ordinary wooden toy duck held the answer, a hidden compartment: hope in a hollow.
The Pebble, by Marius Marcinkevičius and Inga Dagile
Eitan and his best friend Rivka live in a place where children laugh, dogs bark, and neighbours chat. But no one can leave, and once you go through the gates, you never come back. This story takes place in Vilnius in Lithuania - but it could have happened anywhere in Europe during World War II, when Jews were forced into ghettos and suffered greatly in the hands of the Nazis.
Conveying the horrors of the Holocaust in a sensitive but powerful way, Marius Marcinkevicius's tale tells the story of two children who experience the horror of separation and Nazi persecution, only to find each other again thanks to a pebble, which becomes a symbol of endurance and survival.
White Bird, by R.J. Palacio and Kevin Czap
To the millions of readers who fell in love with R.J. Palacio's 'Wonder', Julian is best-known as Auggie Pullman's classroom bully. 'White Bird' reveals a new side to Julian's story, as Julian discovers the moving and powerful tale of his grandmother, who was hidden from the Nazis as a young Jewish girl in occupied France during the Second World War.
Anne Frank, by Ma Isabel Sánchez Vegara and Sveta Dorosheva
Little Anne was born in Germany to a liberal Jewish family. But when the Nazis came into power she was forced to go into hiding with her family. With innovative illustrations and extra facts at the back, this empowering series celebrates the important life stories of wonderful women of the world. From designers and artists to scientists, all of them went on to achieve incredible things, yet all of them began life as a little child with a dream.
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, by Judith Kerr
Partly autobiographical, this is first of the internationally acclaimed trilogy by Judith Kerr telling the unforgettable story of a Jewish family fleeing from Germany at the start of the Second World War.
Borrow When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit →
After the War, by Tom Palmer and Violet Tobacco
Summer 1945. The Second World War is finally over and Yossi, Ben and Mordecai are among three hundred children who arrive in the English Lake District. Having survived the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps, they've finally reached a place of safety and peace, where they can hopefully begin to recover. But Yossi is haunted by thoughts of his missing father and disturbed by terrible nightmares.
Waiting for Anya, by Michael Morpugo
During the German occupation of France, Jo meets Benjamin, a man trying to smuggle Jewish children across the border to safety. Soldiers warn the people that anyone helping Jews across the border will be shot. But Jo continues to help in secret.
Code Name Kingfisher, by Liz Kessler
Holland, 1942. The world is at war and as the Nazis' power grows, Jewish families are in terrible danger. Twelve-year-old Mila and her older sister Hannie are sent to live with a family in another city with new identities and the strict instruction not to tell anyone that they are Jewish. Hannie, determined to fight back, is swept into the Dutch resistance as an undercover agent: Code Name Kingfisher. And though Mila does her best to make friends and keep out of trouble, there is danger at every turn and the sisters are soon left questioning who they can trust.
The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank and Otto Frank
A timeless story rediscovered by each new generation, The Diary of a Young Girl continues to bring to life the experiences of Anne Frank, who for a time survived the worst horror the modern world had seen.
Borrow The Diary of a Young Girl →
The Missing, by Michael Rosen
By turns charming, shocking, and heart-breaking, this is the true story of Michael Rosen's search for his relatives who 'went missing' during the Second World War - told through prose, poetry, and pictures. When Michael was growing up, stories often hung in the air about his great-uncles: one was a clock-mender and the other a dentist. They were there before the war, his dad would say, and weren't after.
Over many years, Michael tried to find out exactly what happened: he interviewed family members, scoured the Internet, pored over books and travelled to America and France. The story he uncovered was one of terrible persecution - and it has inspired his poetry for years since. Here, poems old and new are balanced against an immensely readable narrative; both an extraordinary account and a powerful tool for talking to children about the Holocaust.
Survivors of the Holocaust, by Zane Whittingham and Ryan Jones
An extraordinary, beautifully illustrated graphic novel that looks at the horrors of the Holocaust through the eyes of children and young people who lived through it Based on a series of a BAFTA-nominated animated documentaries, the artwork in Survivors of the Holocaust has been reinvented to bring together six different real-life survivors' account of the Holocaust. Every word rings with truth, whether it describes the bleak fear of arriving at Auschwitz or the sheer terror of Kristallnacht, and is complemented by dazzling, clever artwork.
This unique children's graphic novel aims to bring the survivors' stories to a new audience. It is an important, timely reminder of the horrors that can be inflicted on innocent people and a reflection of the Holocaust's legacy today. It has been longlisted for the prestigous School and Library Association Information Books Awards, 2017. The Holocaust is an important part of the history curriculum at Key Stage 3 and this book is pitched perfectly for 9-12 year olds.