Written by Jane Yolen; Illustrated by Katie May Green
Philomel Books, 2015, Ages 8 - 12
The author writes in the language of a little girl. She refers to her mother as "Maman" and refers to the Nazis as "the bad men" and "the brown shirts". There is also a maturity to the girl's voice and language. When some men around her passed away, she narrates, "but I did not cry. I knew they had flown off to be with the angels." There is also repetition in the phrases "shadows of stars" and "angels".
The illustrations are very dark, depicting a dark time. They seem to be done in pencil.
I do recommend this to children in later elementary school, as it portrays the struggles of Jews during the Holocaust without being gruesome. This is a good story for educating younger children about the Holocaust. Children who have dealt with some family struggles, which have made them mature early can definitely relate to this, while that is a more rare occurrence.
Review by Kelly Holmes
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