III.     Select List of Children’s Books About the Holocaust, Categorized by Age Group

The act of restoring citizenship can bring difficult details back to the present, and for a child, generate obvious questions - why was citizenship lost to begin with? 

Literature can be one meaningful entry point for discussion. The Spokane, Washington Public Library’s How Should You Talk to Your Child About the Holocaust? Why talk about the Holocaust, and when? offers thoughtful advice about how to speak about the Holocaust as well as practical books tips.

Psychology Today’s How to Talk with Children About the Holocaust: Expert Tips and Suggested Books, and the University of Portsmouth’s Guide to Teaching the Holocaust through literature: four books to help young people gain deeper understanding, offer additional insights.

Yad Vashem and the United States Holocaust Museum, two of the world’s leading Holocaust study centers, agree that while themes surrounding prejudice and bias can and should start earlier, generally early adolescence is a time when parents can start offering details about the Holocaust. Experts, however, also agree that whenever a child asks, regardless of age, it’s time to answer in an age-appropriate way.  The United States Holocaust Museum offers these Guidelines for Teaching About Holocaust History as well as tools for developing a learning rationale and objectives.  

Ultimately, each parent knows their child/ren best. Before reading any book, it’s recommended for the parent to check for any listed age-appropriate level, skim the book, and open the lines of communication with your child/ren. For younger children especially, you may wish to read and discuss these books together. 

Below is a select list of books recommended by librarians and scholars. Age ranges are guides only; parental/guardian involvement encouraged.

Ages 8-10

  • "The Butterfly" by Patricia Polacco

A story of friendship and bravery during the Holocaust, inspired by the author's own family history.

  • "The Cats in Krasinski Square" by Karen Hesse

This book tells the story of a young Jewish girl who helps smuggle food into the Warsaw Ghetto with the help of cats.

  • "Benno and the Night of Broken Glass" by Meg Wiviott

This book tells the story of Kristallnacht from the perspective of a cat named Benno.

Ages 10-13

  • "Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry

A historical fiction book about a young Danish girl who helps her Jewish friend escape the Nazis during World War II.

  • "Hana's Suitcase" by Karen Levine

The true story of Hana Brady, a young girl who died in the Holocaust, and the search to uncover her story.

  • “When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit" by Judith Kerr

Based on Kerr’s own childhood experience. It is the story of 9-year-old Jewish girl Anna who has a happy childhood in Germany until the day her father, wanted by the Nazis, has to leave the country. 

  • “The War the Saved My Life” and its sequel “The War I Finally Won” by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Historical fiction set during World War II, this book follows the story of Ada, a ten-year-old girl with a clubfoot, who escapes her abusive mother in London along with her younger brother, Jamie, as they are evacuated to the English countryside. Both books explore themes of resilience, healing, and the impact of war on children.

Ages 13 and up

  • "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

The famous diary of Anne Frank, a Jewish girl hiding from the Nazis in Amsterdam.

  • "Night" by Elie Wiesel

A memoir by Elie Wiesel about his experiences in the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps.

  • "I Have Lived a Thousand Years: Growing Up in the Holocaust" by Livia Bitton-Jackson

A memoir of a young girl’s survival in Auschwitz and her life after liberation.

  • One Eye Laughing, The Other Eye Weeping: The Diary of Julie Weiss, Vienna, Austria to New York 1938 (Dear America Series)

This entry in the Dear America series follows the fictional diary entries of 13-year-old Julie Weiss through the pivotal year 1938, when the Nazis invade Austria.

  • “Maus” by Art Spiegelman

This graphic novel, banned in some American school districts, recounts the story of Spiegelman’s parents who both survived Nazi concentration camps. It uses animal fable with Jewish characters as mice chased by the Nazi cats as imagery to pass critical comments on the events of the time.