The Holocaust is a difficult to broach with anyone, especially so with children. How can children learn about one of the worst events in history without adopting a negative view of humanity themselves?
For multiple reasons, among them being an effort to stop such an annihilation from occurring again, each generation must be introduced to what happened then and its repercussions now. In that end, several authors over the decades have written books intended to gently introduce children to the topic of the Holocaust.
Feedback
How were you introduced to the Holocaust? Am I missing your favorite book on the subject? Please let me know.
Some Personal History
Since first reading "Number the Stars" when I was nine, I have been passionate about my education regarding the Holocaust and its ramifications. This learning process has included national recognition for my research on the topic, attending a high school in Israel, and studying at Clark University (one of the only schools with a Holocaust Studies program).
I have a personal reason to "never forget" but feel that every human should be educated and aware of their history. Ignorance is beyond sinful when horrors can be prevented.
Books for Kids 9 - 12
Number the Stars
A young Danish girl and her family hide her best friend, eventually helping the entire Jewish family over the border to safety, this book introduces children to the idea that not so very long ago children had to leave their homes because their government was doing something bad.
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 07/19/2008)
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
A Jewish child loses her beloved stuffed animal in the confusion of the Holocaust; another way for children to understand the emotions of the time without fully understanding the horrors.
Amazon Price: $5.99 (as of 07/19/2008)
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
A new edition to the category (it was published in Sept. 2006), the naive son of a Nazi commandant befriends a boy imprisoned in Auschwitz, this story needs to be introduced once children are able to form opinions on the Holocaust since some of the book's events are implausible. The fable, as it's billed, is however a good way to broach the subject of how ordinary citizens were able to ignore the horrors around them.
Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 07/19/2008)
Next Steps
The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition
How did a real teenage girl experience the Holocaust? This version of Anne Frank's diary includes her typical teenage entries on unpopular girls, her mother, and desire for romance that were omitted from earlier versions. Use it to give older children an idea of what it felt like to hide in an attic from the perspective of someone in their age group and as a way to humanize what happened to millions of people like Anne after their hiding spot was discovered.
Amazon Price: $6.99 (as of 07/19/2008)
The Book Thief
Amazon Price: $11.53 (as of 07/19/2008)
Holocaust Education on the Web
- United States Holocaust Museum
- America's official Holocaust museum in Washington, D.C. has an excellent website. Download their educational materials, view first-hand photos, watch Steven Speilberg's videotaped interviews with survivors, and read personal histories. Educators can find help on defining genocide and holocaust or simply find images to bring home the humanity of the Holocaust.
- Yad Vashem
- Israel's Holocaust Museum is considered the foremost collector of related artifacts and memoirs.
- Non-Jews Killed in the Holocaust
- Hitler killed 6 million Jews but the handicapped, Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals, and so-called gypsies were also murdered. The United States Holocaust museums has gathered links to the best websites dedicated to memorializing non-Jews killed in the Holocaust.
Modern Genocide
Do you believe murder is wrong? Help Darfur.
- Save Darfur
- Learn more about what is happening in Darfur, join a local action group, and sign a petition to tell President Bush and Secretary General Kofi Annan that you want U.N. troops sent to Sudan.
View this site before showing it to your children! What humans can do to each other is distrubing - all the more reason to stop it! - MTV's Darfur Is Dying
- MTV is trying to educate people about Darfur through an online "game" in which players choose a player and navigate him or her through Darfur trying to not be captured or killed just in an effort to simply live.
New Flickr Pictures
Prisoners saw a sign "Work Will Make You Free" as they entered Auschwitz. It was a lie.
Barbed wire at Auschwitz was one of the ways prisoners were kept from escaping.
After Nazis took control of a country, Jews had to wear a yellow star on their clothing.
Yad Vashem's memorial to the children killed in the holocaust uses candles and mirrors. The children's names are read aloud as well.
