THEn January 27, 1945, Soviet soldiers of the Red Army broke down the gates of the Auschwitz concentration camp and freed the few remaining survivors, showing the horrors of Nazi persecution. On this date, the UN established Remembrance Day in 2005, celebrated by all member states of the United Nations.
Eighty years after that day and the day after ceasefire in Gaza, we recommend twelve readings for younger people, to read together with them so as not to forget the victims of the Holocaust.
On October 16, 1943, Emanuele’s mother was captured by the Nazis. The child manages to grab her, he doesn’t want to let her go but the woman manages to push him away from her, saving him. Emanuele hides on a tram and, stop after stop, tells everyone his story: he is a Jewish child violently removed from his mother’s affection. The tram driver and other passengers will help him for three days until he finds his father. A poignant and delicate story inspired by the true story of Emanuele Di Porto, one of the few survivors of the roundup of the Jewish ghetto in Rome.
A tram for life by Tea Ranno, The steamboat, 16.00 euros
Pippin’s Daughter’s Handkerchief by Rosemarie Waldrop
The Handkerchief of Pippin’s Daughter (out January 27) is a novel by German poet Rosmarie Waldrop, which explores the rise of Nazism. Set in Bayreuth in 1926, it tells the story of the marriage of Frederika and Josef Seifert, a symbol of divisions that will lead to a tragic collective destiny, marked by National Socialism. The protagonist reflects on the possibility of identifying good and evil in apparently innocent gestures, investigating evil on both a private and collective level. An intense and evocative work, which invites us to confront the past and its shadows.
Pippin’s daughter’s handkerchief by Rosmarie Waldrope, Safarà, 19.00 euros
That Day by Michael Rosen, illustrations by Benjamin Philips
A beautiful graphic novel about courage and determination, based on true characters and events, Eugène Handschuh’s escape to freedom together with his father from a train bound for Auschwitz.
That day by Michael Rosen and Benjamin Phillips, Emme Edizioni, 15.90 euros
The suitcases of Auschwitz by Daniela Palumbo, illustrations by Giulia Tomai
In a Europe marked by racial laws, Carlo, Hannah, Émeline and Dawid face racial discrimination and deportation. Everyone reacts in their own way: Carlo hides in the trains, Hannah counts the stars thinking about her missing brother, Émeline refuses to wear the yellow star and Dawid escapes the Warsaw ghetto with his violin. Their stories intertwine in a touching and unforgettable tale, which invites us not to forget one of the most painful pages in history.
The suitcases of Auschwitz by Daniela Palumbo, The steamboat, 11.00 euros
Until My Star Shines by Liliana Segre with Daniela Palumbo
Liliana Segre, deported at just thirteen years old to the Auschwitz concentration camp, lived one of the most dramatic experiences in history. On 30 January 1944, together with other prisoners, she was loaded onto a train at Milan Central Station, destined for the Nazi concentration camps. She was the only child from that convoy to survive. Today, after having lived through the hell of the Shoah, he dedicates his life to bearing witness to the past, in particular turning to the new generations to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive. On 19 January 2018, the President of the Republic appointed her senator for life for her commitment to the promotion of human rights and her extraordinary social contribution.
Until my star shines by Liliana Segre and Daniela Palumbo, The steamboat, 13.00 euros
Judith and the Devil’s Ear by Francesco D’Adamo, illustrations by Chiara Di Biagio
In 1944, in a small mountain town, a blind little girl is secretly brought to the home of Caterina, the wife of Sandokan, the leader of a partisan gang. Her name is Giuditta, and she survived her family’s deportation. Despite her blindness, Giuditta seems to move with extraordinary confidence on the mountain paths, she knows medicinal herbs in depth as a healer and has a special connection with animals. One day, Giuditta discovers a mysterious place called “The Devil’s Ear”: a particular area, with a high and concave wall and a seat in the center. Sitting there, the little girl can hear voices and noises coming from the valley floor. So, day after day, she returns to that place, where she manages to pick up sounds and signals that warn her of the Germans’ movements, allowing the partisans to anticipate their moves. This book won the 2022 Strega Prize in the 11+ category.
Judith and the devil’s ear by Francesco D’Adamo, Giunti, 16.00 euros
Mouschi, Anne Frank’s cat by José Jorge Letria, illustrations by Danuta Wojciechowska
The cat Mouschi finds refuge in the hideout where the Frank family and other Jews hid from the Nazis. In this new world, made of whispers and fear, but also of affection and hope, Mouschi becomes the silent companion of Anna, a teenager who, day after day, writes her dreams and fears in her diary. For two years, the cat observes and shares the anguish and hopes of Anna, who dreams of a better future despite the Holocaust. An invitation for young people to be courageous and hope, values that are more fundamental than ever today.
Mouschi, Anne Frank’s cat by Letria José Jorge, De Agostini, 16.50 euros
The memory train by Lorenzo Tosa and Paolo Paticchio
In January 2005, Paolo, a boy from Southern Italy, visits Auschwitz for the first time, without knowing that that moment will change his life forever. Over the next twenty years, he guided many groups of young people through the symbolic places of the Shoah, such as Berlin and Krakow, on a journey that mixed history and reflection on the present. Each participant, including Nicola, Matilde and Halima, lives a unique experience that leads them to confront the past and current issues, such as migrants and universal pain. Between emotions and discoveries, everyone returns changed, more aware of the value of Memory. This book is intended as an invitation not to forget and to pass on the legacy of history to the new generations.
The memory train by Lorenzo Tosa, De Agostini, 14.90 euros
Otto, autobiography of a teddy bear. Text and illustrations by Tomi Ungerer
The Second World War told from the point of view of a teddy bear who observes without fully understanding the dramatic events that surround him: the Jewish persecution, the deportation and the bombings. Like a child, Otto questions what happens, making the story even more emotional and tragic. The choice to narrate it through her innocence adds a unique touch. A powerful story suitable for young people, which stimulates reflections on the memory and atrocities of war.
Otto, autobiography of a teddy bear by Tomi Ungerer, Mondadori, 16.00 euros
Sara’s Flight by Lorenzo Farina, illustrations by Sonia MI Possentini
The theme of this extraordinary story by Lorenza Farina is the delicate encounter between a little girl named Sara and a robin, in a concentration camp during the Second World War. The little bird decides to bring this new friend with the blue ribbon in her hair, because the brutality of the Shoah and the concentration camps is too raw to be experienced by such a young creature.
Sara’s flight by Lorenzo Farina, Fatatrac, 14.90 euros
Destination Auschwitz by Frediano Sessi
Henryk Mandelbaum, Otto Wolken and Luigi Ferri are some of the protagonists of this dramatic narrative, which recounts the atrocities of Auschwitz. Mandelbaum was part of the Sonderkommando; Wolken, a doctor, tried to treat the prisoners without medicine, and Ferri, one of the few surviving children, found hope and strength in his smile, thanks to Doctor Wolken’s protection. Through the testimonies of these and other survivors, the author reconstructs, with historical rigor, the phases that led Hitler and the Nazis to implement the crazy project of “racial purification” that resulted in the Holocaust.
Destination Auschwitz by Frediano Sessi, Einaudi boys, 12.00 euros
The Ogre Downstairs, by Olivier Dupin, illustrations by Barroux
Sarah and her sister live peacefully until the city is invaded by Nazi flags. Jews can no longer move freely, and when their parents are arrested, the girls are left alone. Just as the soldiers approach, the unexpected “Ogre” from the floor below appears, who, far from being cruel as everyone believes, hides them in his beard to save them. An illustrated book that offers a moving and child-friendly vision of a dramatic historical period, underlining the importance of courage and solidarity.
The ogre from downstairs by Olivier Dupin, Black Egg, 18.50 euros
The stumbling blocks by Federico Gregotti
Gunter Demnig, a sculptor with a cowboy look, created the largest widespread monument in Europe: the stumbling blocks. These small concrete blocks with brass plaques are placed in front of the homes of the victims of Nazi-fascist persecution. Each stone bears the name of a person torn from his life, telling his story. This book, designed for children aged 9 and up, combines art and history to help us understand the past and inspire the future.
The stumbling blocks by Federico Gregotti, Einaudi boys (Simply Heroes series), 11.00 euros
Just a word by Matteo Corradini, illustrations by Sonia Cucculelli
In 1938 in Venice, Roberto is a child like many others, until people begin to discriminate against him because of his glasses, a symbol of diversity that makes him a target. The novel, inspired by the documentary 1938 – Several by Giorgio Treves, tells with simplicity the inhuman mechanism that led to the persecution of the Jews during the fascist regime.