Hidden

Daivillier, L. (2014). Hidden:
A child's story of the
Holocaust. New York:
First Second. 

Hidden
(L'Enfant Cache)
By Loïc Dauvillier 
Illustrated by Greg Salsedo and Marc Lizano
Originally written in French
Originally published by Le Lombard, 2012
Translated to English by Alexis Siegel
Published in English by First Second, 2014
80 pages

Hidden is the remarkable story of a Jewish woman named Dounia. The story is told in flashbacks as Dounia reveals to her granddaughter Elsa the terrible life she endured as a young Jewish girl living in France. Dounia was required to wear the yellow Star of David to school for the first time when she was 6 years old. When she did, her teacher and classmates ostracized her for now it was obvious that Dounia was Jewish. One night, the Nazis vandalized Dounia's home and arrested her parents, while Dounia stayed hidden under a panel in the wardrobe. After the raid Dounia's neighbors took her in and hid her in their apartment. Eventually, Dounia escaped to the French countryside for the duration of the war, was ultimately reunited with her mother, and lived to tell her heartbreaking yet hopeful story to her granddaughter. Purchase the book here.

Hidden is told carefully and tastefully; however, it is certainly not sugarcoated, offering an honest perspective into the atrocities endured by Jewish civilians, particularly in France, during the Holocaust. The story in and of itself is deeply emotional and the profound, cartoon-like illustrations make it even more so. The characters' faces depict powerful emotion and play an integral part in the telling of Dounia's story. 

Though the story is told as though Dounia is telling her own granddaughter the story the flashbacks are all revealed through a child's perspective, allowing children reading the story to truly connect with Dounia.  Discuss with your children/students what the Holocaust is before reading Hidden. Explain to them that some people hid, some were taken away, families were separated, and some people did not live long enough to tell their story. At age six, children do not need to know all the ins-and-outs of the atrocities that were the Holocaust - but Dounia was six when this terrible thing happened to her, and children today need to know that it happened. This book is a perfect way to introduce it. 

Click here to watch a 7-year-old boy's summary and review of Hidden on YouTube. Includes images from the book. 

A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust