This poignant account of childhood innocence destroyed by the Nazi occupation of France touches both heart and mind.

Star of Fear, Star of Hope - Jo Hoestlandt - Google Books Star of Fear, Star of Hope - Jo Hoestlandt - Google Books

Recommend: I would recommend this book because even though it is about a serious and painful topic, children need to know what happened and how many people were affected by World War II. Of course, Harry isn’t as blasé about the move as he pretends, and eyes aren’t exactly dry when he departs. She never sees Lydia again but, in all the intervening years, sustains hope (``with all my heart'') that Lydia has survived. The distressing events of the Holocaust are shown with new eyes from an outside perspective to aid students in understanding this troublesome time. A popular speaker, teacher, and storyteller for children and adults, he was awarded a Fulbright grant in 1998 to teach storytelling and to study folklore in Thailand.The pastel pictures in sepia tones are understated, with an old-fashioned, almost childlike simplicity. An elderly woman tells the story of her childhood best friend, forced to wear a yellow star when the Nazis invade France. But when a fearful woman appears at Helen's house, Lydia suddenly wants to go home early, and Helen can't understand why.

Star of Fear, Star of Hope - Bloomsbury Publishing Star of Fear, Star of Hope - Bloomsbury Publishing

Modiano, winner of the 2014 Nobel Prize for literature, recounts, in laconic, clear-eyed prose, his youth and coming of age in post-WWII Paris. These two girls were friends, and Hellen noticed that like many other people, her friend Lydia wore a star on her clothes. Secrets and lies abound in Echenoz's latest wry sendup of the spy thriller, which features a mysterious colonel, a reluctant secret agent, a magnetic beauty and a vanished husband. Pioneering gallery owner Leo Castelli (1907–1999) arrived in New York City in 1941 and opened a gallery 15 years later, at the age of 50.I also appreciate Johanna Kang, the illustrator, for incorporating simplistic pictures that relate well to the story. Like Richter's Friedrich (1970) for older readers, this picture book dramatizes the Holocaust from the point of view of a gentile child who watches the mounting persecution of a Jewish friend. Fluidly written and centered in events a child can comprehend, the book is an ideal starting point for serious discussion about the Holocaust.

Star of Fear, Star of Hope - Hoestlandt, Jo: 9780802775887 - AbeBooks Star of Fear, Star of Hope - Hoestlandt, Jo: 9780802775887 -

Star of Hope, Star of Fear by Jo Hoestlandt is a remarkable book that details the struggle faced by children during WWII and the Holocaust. The next morning she realizes that she should not have said such a thing to her best friend but when she goes to apologize, Lydia and her family are gone. French-Vietnamese–born Lê (Slander) weaves a dense, lush tale exploring the chasm between West and East, between the lives of pampered immigrants and the family left behind. The news leaves his best friend, narrator “Dougo,” devastated…particularly as Harry doesn’t seem all that fussed about it.

In a powerful marriage of art and text, the simple, spare lines and muted tones of Kang's illustrations quietly support the poignant story.