Curriculum & Lessons

Books

One by Kathryn Otoshi Ages 3-8

Blue is a quiet color. Red’s a hothead who likes to pick on Blue. Yellow, Orange, Green, and Purple don’t like what they see, but what can they do? When no one speaks up, things get out of hand — until One comes along and shows all the colors how to stand up, stand together, and count. As budding young readers learn about numbers, counting, and primary and secondary colors, they also learn about accepting each other's differences and how it sometimes just takes one voice to make everyone count.

The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss Ages 3-8

There are two kinds of Sneetches: Star-Belly and Plain-Belly Sneetches. The only difference is stars on some of their bellies. And yet they Star-Belly Sneetches think they are superior to Plain-Belly Sneetches. They don’t allow each other to get along. Along comes a man who sells them stars and star-removals. This causes quite a mess; no one can remember who had stars and who didn’t. In the end, the Sneetches learn that they are all the same.

One Candle by Eve Bunting Ages 4-8

The story of a young girl who, with her sister, sneaks a potato out of the concentration camp kitchen to make a single Hanukkah candle. Every year since the war, she and her sister make a single candle from a potato to put in the window next to their menorah and tell the story to their grandchildren.They pass on to each generation a tale of perseverance during the darkest hours of the Holocaust, and the strength it took to continue to honor Hanukkah in the only way they could. 

Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust by Eve Bunting Ages 6-9

The animals in the clearing were content until the Terrible Things came, capturing all creatures with feathers. Little Rabbit wondered what was wrong with feathers, but his fellow animals silenced him. “Just mind your own business, Little Rabbit. We don’t want them to get mad at us.”

The Butterfly by Patricia Pollaco  Ages 7-9

Set in a small village in Nazi-occupied France, a young girl named Monique believes that she sees a ghost in her room. She realizes that it’s a real girl, Sevrine, who is hiding from the Nazis. Full of beautiful artwork, this picture book by a prolific and beloved author makes this emotional and challenging topic engaging and relatable for younger readers.

I Survived the Nazi Invasion by Lauren Tarshis Ages 7-9

Historical Fiction

This bestselling historical fiction story effectively captures the darkness as well as the glimmers of light from this time period. After the Nazis take their father, Max and his sister Zena become stranded in a Jewish ghetto. This is a heart-pounding tale of survival and resilience.

Lisa of Willesden Lane: A True Story of Music and Survival During World War II by Mona Golabek and Lee Cohen  Ages 7-9

Lisa is a young musical prodigy living in Vienna before the start of World War II. As Austria becomes unsafe for Jewish families like hers, her parents make the difficult decision to use their only safe passage ticket to send her to London. Leaving behind her siblings and parents is only bearable because she is able to share her music with the other refugees. This story offers an important perspective on the impact of the Holocaust on those who escaped and shows the power of music to uplift the world.

Maurice and His Dictionary by Cary Fagan and Enzo Lord Mariano  Ages 7-9

This graphic novel weaves humor and sadness together to share the story of Maurice and his family as they flee from Belgium through multiple European countries, eventually landing as refugees in an internment camp in Jamaica. Maurice keeps his beloved dictionary close to him as he strives to continue his education no matter where he is living. A tribute to the spirit of resilience and determination expressed by those forced to create new lives in new countries due to the terror of the Nazis.

Stars of the Night: The Courageous Children of the Czech Kindertransport by Caren Stelson Ages 7-11

Told from the collective perspective of the children who were rescued from Czechoslovakia on the eve of World War II, as Hitler's campaign of hatred toward Jews and political dissidents took hold. The narrative starts in 1938 and follows the children as they journey to foster families in England for the duration of the war, return to Prague afterward in an unsuccessful search for their parents, and eventually connect with Nicholas Winton, a British former stockbroker who was instrumental in bringing them to safety. Winton and the Czech Kindertransport ultimately rescued 669 children from Nazi persecution.

Behind the Bookcase: Miep Gies, Anne Frank, and the Hiding Place by Barbara Lowell Ages 7-11

One of the protectors of the Frank family, Miep recovered the diary after the family was discovered by Nazis, and then returned it to Otto Frank after World War II. Displaced from her own home as a child during World War I, Miep had great empathy for Anne, and she found ways—like talking about Hollywood gossip and fashion trends—to engage her. The story of their relationship—and the impending danger to the family in hiding—unfolds in this unique perspective of Anne Frank’s widely known story.

Benno and the Night of Broken Glass by Meg Wiviott Ages 7 -11

During the week, he napped in a sunny corner of Mitzi Stein's dress shop and begged scrapped from Moshe the butcher. But one night in Berlin, the Nazis changed everything. Life would never be the same. This cat's-eye view introduces the Holocaust to children in a gentle way that can open discussion of this period.

Francesco Tirelli's Ice Cream Shop by Tamar Meir Ages 8 - 12

Francesco Tirelli loved to eat gelato from his uncle's cart. So when he moves from Italy to Hungary, Francesco decides to open his own ice cream store. There young Peter learns to love ice cream as much as Francesco did. But when the war comes and Francesco closes his shop for the winter, he uses the shop for a special purpose―to hide his Jewish friends and neighbors from danger. This heroic tale is based on true events.

My Survival: A Girl on Schindler's List by Joshua M. Greene Ages 8 - 12

The true story of Rena Finder.   She was eleven when the Nazis forced her and her family -- along with all the other Jewish families -- into the ghetto in Krakow, Poland. Rena worked as a slave laborer with scarcely any food, and watched as friends and family were sent away.  Then Rena and her mother ended up working for Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who employed Jewish prisoners in his factory and kept them fed and healthy. But Rena's nightmares were not over. She and her mother were deported to the concentration camp Auschwitz. With great cunning, it was Schindler who set out to help them escape.

The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss  Ages 8 - 12

A classic WWII survivor story based on award-winning author Johanna Reiss’s own childhood during the Holocaust.

When the German army occupied Holland in 1940, Annie was only eight years old. Because she was Jewish, the occupation put her in grave danger. Most people thought the war wouldn’t last long, but Annie knew that if she wanted to stay alive, she would have to go into hiding.

Fortunately, a Gentile family, the Oostervelds, offered refuge to Annie and her older sister, Sini. For two years they hid in the cramped upstairs room of the Oostervelds’s remote farmhouse. There, Annie and Sini would struggle to hold on to hope—separated from their family and confined to one tiny room—as a frightful and seemingly endless war raged on outside their window.

Hana's Suitcase: The Quest to Solve a Holocaust Mystery  by Karen Levine Ages 8 - 12

In March 2000, Fumiko Ishioka, the curator of a small Holocaust education center in Tokyo, received an empty suitcase from the museum at Auschwitz. On the outside, in white paint, were the words “Hana Brady, May 16, 1931, Orphan.”

      Fumiko and the children at the center were determined to find out who Hana was and what happened to her all those years ago, leading them to a startling and emotional discovery.

     The dual narrative intertwines Fumiko’s international journey to find the truth about Hana Brady’s fate with Hana’s own compelling story of her life in a quiet Czech town, which is shattered by the arrival of the Nazis, tearing apart the family she loves. This suspense-filled work of investigative nonfiction draws in young readers and makes them active participants in the search for Hana’s identity.

Six Million Paper Clips: The Making Of A Children's Holocaust Memorial by Peter W. Schroeder Ages 8 - 13

At a middle school in a small, all white, all Protestant town in Tennessee, a special after-school class was started to teach the kids about the Holocaust, and the importance of tolerance. The students had a hard time imagining what six million was (the number of Jews the Nazis killed), so they decided to collect six million paperclips, a symbol used by the Norwegians to show solidarity with their Jewish neighbors during World War II. German journalists Dagmar and Peter Schroeder, whose involvement brought the project international attention, tell the dramatic story of how the Paper Clip Project grew, culminating in the creation of The Children's Holocaust Memorial.

Martin & Anne: The Kindred Spirits of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Anne Frank Ages 8-13

Picture Book

Anne Frank and Martin Luther King Jr. were born the same year a world apart. Both faced ugly prejudices and violence, which both answered with words of love and faith in humanity. This is the story of their parallel journeys to find hope in darkness and to follow their dreams.

37 Days at Sea: Aboard the M.S. St. Louis, 1939  by Barbara Krasner Ages 8-13

Fiction

In May 1939, nearly one thousand German-Jewish passengers boarded the M.S. St. Louis luxury liner bound for Cuba. They hoped to escape the dangers of Nazi Germany and find safety in Cuba. In this novel in verse, twelve-year-old Ruthie Arons is one of the refugees, traveling with her parents. Ruthie misses her grandmother, who had to stay behind in Breslau, and worries when her father keeps asking for his stomach pills. But when the ship is not allowed to dock in Havana as planned―and when she and her friend Wolfie discover a Nazi on board―Ruthie must take action. In the face of hopelessness, she and her fellow passengers refuse to give up on the chance for a new life.

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr Ages 9 -11

Anna is not sure who Hitler is, but she sees his face on posters all over Berlin. Then one morning, Anna and her brother awake to find her father gone! Her mother explains that their father has had to leave and soon they will secretly join him. Anna just doesn't understand. Why do their parents keep insisting that Germany is no longer safe for Jews like them?

Because of Hitler, Anna must leave everything behind as her family embarks on a journey that extends over several years and over the borders of many countries.

Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy Ages 9 - 12

“In 1945 the war ended. The Germans surrendered, and the ghetto was liberated. Out of over a quarter of a million people, about 800 walked out of the ghetto. Of those who survived, only twelve were children. I was one of the twelve.” For more than fifty years after the war, Syvia, like many Holocaust survivors, did not talk about her experiences in the Lodz ghetto in Poland. She buried her past in order to move forward. But finally she decided it was time to share her story, and so she told it to her niece, who has re-told it here using free verse inspired by her aunt. This is the true story of Syvia Perlmutter―a story of courage, heartbreak, and finally survival despite the terrible circumstances in which she grew up. A timeline, historical notes, and an author’s note are included.

The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti Ages 9 - 12

About a youth in Nazi Germany who tells the truth about Hitler.  When 16-year-old Helmut Hubner listens to the BBC news on an illegal short-wave radio, he quickly discovers Germany is lying to the people. But when he tries to expose the truth with leaflets, he's tried for treason. Sentenced to death and waiting in a jail cell, Helmut's story emerges in a series of flashbacks that show his growth from a naive child caught up in the patriotism of the times, to a sensitive and mature young man who thinks for himself.

Jars of Hope: How One Woman Helped Save 2,500 Children During the Holocaust  by Jennifer Rozines Roy Ages 9 - 12

Amid the horrors of World War II, Irena Sendler was an unlikely and unsung hero. While many people lived in fear of the Nazis, Irena defied them, even though it could have meant her life. This gripping true story of a woman who took it upon herself to help save 2,500 children from the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust is not only inspirational―it's unforgettable.

Hidden: A Child’s Story of the Holocaust by Loic Dauvillier, Marc Lizano, and Greg Salsedo Ages 9-13

One night when Elsa and her grandmother Dounia can’t sleep, Dounia shares her experiences as a young Jewish girl living in Paris during the Nazi regime. Neighbors and friends hide her after Nazis send her parents to a concentration camp. Horrific historical events are softened through beautiful illustrations and a gentle, touching writing style in this critically acclaimed graphic novel.

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry  Ages 9-13

The power of the Danish Resistance to stand up against the darkness of the Nazis is highlighted in this Newbery Award–winning classic. The family of 10-year-old Annemarie offers to care for her Jewish best friend, Ellen Rosen, to keep her from being taken by Hitler’s soldiers. But can they truly protect her? This captivating, suspenseful story shows the trials and tribulations experienced by young people during this time.

Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz  Ages 9-13

In this story, the character Michael O’Shaunessey, the son of the Irish ambassador to Germany, tells the story from his point of view. Like all German youth, the Hitler Youth movement forces him to join them. But he has a secret: He is a spy for the Allies. He risks everything in hopes of the Nazis not discovering him before completing his mission. This riveting story offers a unique perspective into the horrific actions that Nazis brainwashed young people in Germany to commit under the guise of loyalty.

Resistance by Jennifer Nielsen  Ages 9-13

Chaya, a Jewish teenager living in Poland, loses her siblings to the Nazis. As a result, she wants to make a difference in the fight against the enemy soldiers. She serves as a courier delivering messages between Jews and then joins a resistance cell. She finds herself immersed in the dangerous battles of the Warsaw Ghetto. This is an intense and spellbinding historical fiction book about the Holocaust that shows the power of courage and perseverance, no matter what your age.

The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen Ages 9-13

Hannah dreads going to her family's Passover Seder--she's tired of hearing her relatives talk about the past. But when she opens the front door to symbolically welcome the prophet Elijah, she's transported to a Polish village in the year 1942. Why is she there, and who is this Chaya that everyone seems to think she is? Just as she begins to unravel the mystery, Nazi soldiers come to take everyone in the village away. And only Hannah knows the unspeakable horrors that await.

I Never Saw Another Butterfly: Children's Drawings and Poems from the Terezin Concentration Camp, 1942-1944 by Hana Volavkova Ages 10 - 13

Fifteen thousand children under the age of fifteen passed through the Terezin Concentration Camp. Fewer than 100 survived. In these poems and pictures drawn by the young inmates, we see the daily misery of these uprooted children, as well as their hopes and fears, their courage and optimism. 60 color illustrations.

All But My Life: A Memoir by Gerda Weissmann Klein Ages 12 and up

The story of Gerda Weissmann Klein's six-year ordeal as a victim of Nazi cruelty. From her comfortable home in Bielitz (present-day Bielsko) in Poland to her miraculous survival and her liberation by American troops--including the man who was to become her husband--in Volary, Czechoslovakia, in 1945, Gerda takes the reader on a terrifying journey.

Despite her horrifying experiences, Klein conveys great strength of spirit and faith in humanity. In the darkness of the camps, Gerda and her young friends manage to create a community of friendship and love. Although stripped of the essence of life, they were able to survive the barbarity of their captors. Gerda’s story offers the reader hope that the effects of hatred can be overcome.

Surviving the Angel of Death: The True Story of a Mengele Twin in Auschwitz by Eva Mozes Kor  Ages 12 and up

Eva Mozes Kor was just ten years old when she arrived in Auschwitz. While her parents and two older sisters were taken to the gas chambers, she and her twin, Miriam, were herded into the care of the man known as the Angel of Death, Dr. Josef Mengele. Subjected to sadistic medical experiments, she was forced to fight daily for her and her twin's survival. In this incredible true story written for young adults, readers learn of a child's endurance and survival in the face of truly extraordinary evil and Eva's recovery and her controversial but often misunderstood decision to publicly forgive the Nazis. Readers will learn of how she triumphed over unfathomable pain and suffering into a life-long work for peace, human rights, and Holocaust education.

A Bag of Marbles by Joseph Joffo Ages 12-18

Graphic Novel

When Joseph Joffo was ten years old, his father gave him and his brother fifty francs and instructions to flee Nazi-occupied Paris and, somehow, get to the south where France was free. Previously out of print, this book is a captivating and memorable story; readers will instinctively find themselves rooting for these children caught in the whirlwind of World War II.

Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank  Ages 13 and up

Non-Fiction

It helps readers understand the horrors of the Holocaust through the lens of a young Jewish girl living in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. This compilation of Anne’s real diary entries from ages 13 to 15 chronicles both her experiences and emotions while hiding in the Secret Annex with her family for two years before the Nazis discovered them. Her memoir captures moments filled with fear. In addition, Anne reflects on the touching and even humorous times of a traumatic situation and the more relatable ups and downs of adolescence.

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak  Ages 13 and up

Historical Fiction

Death itself narrates this timeless classic. A mother gives her young Jewish daughter, Liesel, to a poor German family in an attempt to save her life during World War II. Liesel steals books that Nazi supporters plan to burn. Despite the trauma of her current life, the books become a source of hope for her and those that she shares them with. 

The Nazi Hunters: How a Team of Spies and Survivors Captured the World’s Most Notorious Nazi by Neal Bascomb  Ages 13 and up

Nonfiction

The setting of this narrative nonfiction book is 15 years after the end of World War II. It shares the true story of a group of Israeli spies who captured Adolf Eichmann, one of the most notorious Nazis, who fled to Argentina to escape punishment after the war. This young reader adaptation humanizes the characters and provides a pulse-pounding, unforgettable story about a lesser-known perpetrator of the Holocaust.

Night by Elie Wiesel  Ages 13 and up

Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel shares his firsthand account of living in the Nazi death camps as a teenager. His retelling of the horrific experiences he endured is eye-opening. It also shows the depth of emotions, from guilt and shame to gratitude and joy, felt by survivors like him. 

Maus I and II by Spiegelman Ages 13 and up

Maus recounts the chilling experiences of the author’s father during the Holocaust, with Jews drawn as wide-eyed mice and Nazis as menacing cats.  Maus is a haunting tale within a tale, weaving the author’s account of his tortured relationship with his aging father into an astonishing retelling of one of history's most unspeakable tragedies. It is an unforgettable story of survival and a disarming look at the legacy of trauma.

When Time Stopped: A Memoir of My Father's War and What Remains by Ariana Neumann Ages 15 and up

As a child in Venezuela, Ariana Neumann is fascinated by the enigma of her father, who appears to be the epitome of success and strength, but who wakes at night screaming in a language she doesn’t recognise. Then, one day, she finds an old identity document bearing his picture – but someone else’s name.

From a box of papers her father leaves for her when he dies, Ariana meticulously uncovers the extraordinary truth of his escape from -occupied Prague. She follows him across Europe and reveals his astonishing choice to assume a fake identity and live out the war undercover, spying for the Allies in Berlin – deep in the ‘darkest shadow’. 

Children in the Holocaust and World War II by Laurel Holliday Ages Middle School and up

Nonfiction

Twenty-three young people, ages ten through eighteen, recount in vivid detail the horrors they lived through. Some of the diarists include: a Hungarian girl, selected by Mengele to be put in a line of prisoners who were tortured and murdered; a Danish Christian boy executed by the Nazis for his partisan work; and a twelve-year-old Dutch boy who lived through the Blitzkrieg in Rotterdam. And many others. These heartbreaking stories paint a harrowing picture of a genocide that will never be forgotten, and a war that shaped many generations to follow.

Salvaged Pages: Young Writers' Diaries of the Holocaust by Alexandra Zapruder

Nonfiction

Presents fourteen diaries detailing the lives of children and their families during the Holocaust.

The Secret Holocaust Diaries: The Untold Story of Nonna Bannister by Nonna Bannister

Nonfiction

For half a century, she kept her story secret while living a normal American life. She locked all her photos, documents, diaries, and dark memories from World War II in a trunk. Late in life, she unlocked the trunk, first for herself, then for her husband, and now for the rest of the world. Nonna's story is one of suffering, torture, and death - but also of incredible acts of kindness that show the ultimate triumph of faith and love over despair and evil.

Survivors: True Stories of Children in the Holocaust by Allan Zullo

Nonfiction

These are the true-life accounts of nine Jewish boys and girls whose lives spiraled into danger and fear as the Holocaust overtook Europe.   In a time of great horror, these children each found a way to make it through the nightmare of war. Some made daring escapes into the unknown, others disguised their true identities, and many witnessed unimaginable horrors. But what they all shared was the unshakable belief in - and hope for - survival. Their legacy of courage in the face of hatred will move you, captivate you, and ultimately, inspire you.