Title: When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
Author: Judith Kerr
Series: Out of the Hitler Time, book 1
Major Themes: Germany, Switzerland, France, World War II, Jewish Holocaust
Synopsis: As Hitler came into power, Anna’s father decided that her family needed to leave Germany—but where could they all be together?
I don’t remember why one of my children chose When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit for me to read aloud a little while ago, but I was glad that he did. It is one of those books that has been languishing on the shelf for a long time with no one even looking at it, much less opening it. I had forgotten that it was a true story, but out turns out to be autobiographical, and, even better, the first of a trilogy about the author’s experiences as a child during the years when Hitler was in power.
Publisher’s description:
Partly autobiographical, this is the 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.
Suppose your country began to change. Suppose that without your noticing, it became dangerous for some people to live in Germany any longer. Suppose you found, to your complete surprise, that your own father was one of those people.
That is what happened to Anna in 1933. She was nine years old when it began, too busy with her schoolwork and tobogganing to take much notice of political posters, but out of them glared the face of Adolf Hitler, the man who would soon change the whole of Europe—starting with her own small life.
Anna suddenly found things moving too fast for her to understand. One day, her father was unaccountably missing. Then she and her brother Max were being rushed by their mother, in alarming secrecy, away from everything they knew—home and schoolmates and well-loved toys—right out of Germany.…
My thoughts:
I found Anna’s perspective of events quite interesting. As a nine-year-old, she had no idea of the dangers and tensions surrounding her Jewish family in Germany as Adolf Hitler seized power—but her father could see what was coming. She couldn’t understand why her family had to suddenly, secretly, leave everything behind, but she made the best of it. According to Max’s new book, the sure prerequisite for greatness was having a difficult childhood—but obviously, she was not destined to be great, because her childhood was not difficult! I loved the reasoning that brought her to that conclusion.
Most books about Hitler and Germany focus on the events of the war and the Holocaust. I like this peek at the very beginning of Hitler’s era (the story begins the week before the election that put Hitler into power), through the eyes of a child who didn’t understand what was happening. This was a very gentle introduction to the Holocaust. I’m glad I finally got to read When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit again, and now I want to read the two sequels.
WARNING: Chapter 9: Gosh. Chapter 10: Dog dies; man suggests it was suicide. Chapter 23: Man commits suicide.
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 8 – 12, Family Friendly
Reading Independently—Ages 8 – 12, 10 – 12, 12 – 15
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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