About the Holiday

Today we celebrate those journals that allow us to express our thoughts and feelings, record events both mundane and life-changing, and give us license to explore our creativity. If you’re a regular diary writer, honor the day with a new entry. If you’ve always considered keeping a diary, today’s a perfect day to start!

Anne Frank: The Girl Heard Around the World

Written by Linda Elovitz Marshall | Illustrated by Aura Lewis

 

“All her life, Anne Frank wanted to be heard. Really, truly heard.” But sometimes no matter how loudly or entertainingly she talked, no one listened or seemed to understand. Anne’s family, “like many other Jewish families, had lived in Germany for centuries,” but when Adolf Hitler began to govern the country, Jewish families were in danger. When Anne was four years old, her family, hoping to find safety, moved to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Here, Anne lived happily, “making mischief with her friends, telling jokes, and having fun. “In school, she talked and talked.”

But in 1940, Hitler and his Nazi’s took over the Netherlands too, and life for Jewish people living there was no longer safe. Anyone who talked against the Nazis could be arrested, but Anne needed to express her opinions. On her 13^th birthday Anne received a red plaid diary; she named it “Kitty.” In Kitty, Anne could share all of her thoughts and feelings about what was happening in her country. She wrote about the rules that restricted Jews from normal life, that made all Jews wear a yellow star that distinguished them from others. But Anne also wrote about school and other subjects. “Anne realized that by writing, she could speak her mind in a new way. She could really, truly be heard.”

Then on a morning in 1942, Anne’s mother woke her, telling her that they needed to leave quickly and hide. Anne “packed her most treasured things.” Her diary was the first thing she packed. She and her family as well as four other people hid in a secret room in the warehouse where Anne’s father worked. Non-Jewish friends who also worked in the warehouse brought them food and supplies. While Anne tried to make the best of her life in hiding, she was lonely and always careful to whisper and tiptoe so the other workers in the factory did not discover them.

Now, Anne’s diary was even more important to her. In Kitty she wrote about her fears and feelings, her days and the things she missed. “She wrote about wishing people could live together, in peace,” and Kitty “was always there to listen, always there to understand.” Anne also wrote stories about a teddy bear, a fairy, and a caring grandmother. Once water seeped in and soaked her diary. Anne rushed to hang the pages to dry. Anne wrote and wrote for two years. She hoped to publish a book about her experience.

“But on August 4, 1944, Nazi police discovered the secret hiding place.” Anne, her family, and all of the people living in the warehouse room were taken away. “One of their non-Jewish friends found Anne’s diary and writings and kept them safe,” hoping to return them to her. But just weeks before the war ended in 1945, Anne died. Anne’s father was the only one to survive. After the war ended, Anne’s father fulfilled her dream and published Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. Anne’s book has been read by people around the world and continues to speak for her in the hearts of readers everywhere.

Back matter includes more about Anne, her family, the Nazis and how Anne’s diary was saved; a timeline of Anne’s family, the rise of Hitler, and the war years; an Author’s Note; and lists of sources, suggested further reading, and websites.

Linda Elovitz Marshall’s moving telling of Anne Frank’s life and dreams, focusing on her beloved diary will resonate with children, who, like Anne, want to be heard. In her evocative storytelling, Marshall creates a rich portrait of Anne as a vivacious child who was also smart and thoughtful. Mirroring the devastating disruptions in Anne’s and her family’s life, Marshall intersperses pages of straightforward text which describes the rise of Hitler and the Nazis and emphasizes ways in which they restricted and silenced the Jewish population, reinforcing her book’s theme. The examples Marshall gives—riding bikes, going to the movies, having to wear an identification star—will impress upon children the changes in Anne’s life.

When Anne and her family move to the Secret Annex, Marshall superbly reveals the conditions of their confinement through Anne’s writing and how her diary was her lifeline and her confidant. The family’s eventual discovery is written factually but with sensitivity, fitting for picture book readers. The final spread honors the influence Anne Frank has had on the world with her diary—her voice that could not be silenced.

In Aura Lewis’s emotionally resonant illustrations, readers first meet Anne Frank in a snapshot that shows her as kind, thoughtful, and seemingly wise beyond her years. Vibrant scenes of Anne with her family in Germany and later with family and friends in Amsterdam give way to somber, gray-toned images that reflect Hitler’s takeover and the dangers Anne, her family, and all Jewish people faced. Lewis clearly sketches Anne’s childhood enthusiasms and hope and, especially, her pleasure at receiving her diary. Also, readily recognizable are Anne’s feelings of fear, frustration, and sadness. Lewis portrays Anne in signature orange and plaid, reflecting the deep interconnection between Anne and her diary. This visual metaphor is then carried onto the final spread, where a variety of people of all ages read Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl.

An excellent book to introduce young children to Anne Frank, a most influential and inspiring young girl, Anne Frank: The Girl Heard Around the World would be a meaningful addition to home bookshelves and is a must for school and public library collections.

Ages 6 – 8

Orchard Books, 2020 | ISBN 978-1338312294

Discover more about Linda Elovitz Marshall and her books, visit her website.

To learn more about Aura Lewis, her books, and her art, visit her website.

National Dear Diary Day Activity

Anne Frank and Her Diary Word Search

 

Find the twenty words associated with Anne Frank, her life, and her diary in this printable puzzle

Anne Frank and Her Diary Word Search Puzzle | Anne Frank and Her Diary Word Search Solution

You can find Anne Frank: The Girl Heard Around the World at these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Bookshop | IndieBound