****When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
by Judith Kerr
Reviewed February 25, 2002.
Scholastic, 1998 (First published in 1971). 191
pages.
Available at Sembach Library (JF KER)
I had gotten this book in one of my son’s book orders,
and it was sitting around the house. My husband started reading
it, and it turned out to be the sort of book that makes you want to
read bits aloud to your spouse. So I had to read it myself when
he was done!
Not many books about World War II have such a humorous
and gentle spirit. The author fictionalized her childhood as
a refugee. Granted, she and her family were very lucky.
They got out of Germany the day before Hitler came to power and left
France before the Germans attacked.
The book tells what it was like to leave her home.
The title expresses the girl Anna’s regret that she chose to bring
a new toy instead of her old favorite, Pink Rabbit. When they
learned that their house was no longer theirs, her brother joked that
Hitler must be playing with Pink Rabbit.
They fled first to Switzerland and later to France.
Her father was a writer and her mother a pianist, and her mother
was not at all accustomed to doing household chores. Judith
Kerr tells about their struggles to manage with little money and to adjust
to French schools. Her story is full of humor, making a warm
story out of a difficult time. They don’t gloss over the evils
of war--Her uncle, who stayed in Germany, killed himself. But
the focus of the story is how Anna learned to enjoy life with her family
in a new place. She has discovered that most famous people had
difficult childhoods, so she feels somewhat regretful that she will
never be famous, since her childhood is not difficult.
Review of another book by Judith Kerr:
Mister Cleghorn's Seal
Reader comment:
An anonymous reader gives this book 5 stars!
Copyright © 2003
Sondra Eklund. All rights
reserved.
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Book Reviews by Sondra Eklund