Do You like book When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit (2002)?
Judith Kerr's memoirs as a refugee from Nazi Germany are an important legacy. The hairsbreadth that separated Hitler from 'stealing pink rabbit' and their very lives is shocking and remarkable. The Pink Rabbit is her childhood and just as its eyes and fallen off and been sewn back on again, Anna learns to see things differently. It is a simply written and true story of a young girl growing up at a time when Hitler came to power, forcing her father, a well-known, humorous and very outspoken writer who for his popular articles and radio programmes was on the top of a nazi list of persons who would have their passports revoked if and when Hitler came to power. Of course, Anna (Judith's middle name and that of the main character) was just a little girl, and blissfully unaware of all this, and enjoyed writing stories and sledging under the starlit skies of midwinter. This book was originally written so that Judith would have a legacy to give her own grandchildren, but due to the success of this first book, two more have been written continuing the story. The kindle version is perfect as it comes with an afterward and a lot of extras about the family and Nazi Germany at that time with questions and answers, as well as written assignments, for home and classrooms. I read this book several times, and just may read it again. Although it is written with simplicity, I wouldn't begin to call this a 'young adult' book, but rather a book for all ages.
—Jazzy Lemon
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit is a book for kids and teenagers. I know that many friends of mine had to read it in school but for some reason, I never had to. Nevertheless, I always thought that it is an important novel that I should have read. Thus, last year, I bought it but then forgot about it again. Last week, when I was in bed sick with the flu, I was going through the books in my shelf I have not read yet and there it was and grabbed my attention. I started reading it in the morning and read it in one day even though I had to take breaks because I couldn‘t concentrate anymore due to my illness.Being German, I was always interested in the past of my home country even though the history of Germany is so cruel and sad. But especially because it is like that I think that it is really important to educate our kids about this dreadful part of our history and to explain why things have happened and how they could have been avoided in order to make sure that something like this will never happen again. In Germany this is done very well in school and after reading this novel, I can see why many people read it during their school time.Judith Kerr did a fantastic job describing this part of the German history from the view of a Jewish family escaping from Nazi Germany. She finds a way of explaining things in a kids and teenager friendly way as well as delivering a story that is entertaining and nice to read. In some parts it is even funny and the reader forgets about the terrible things that have happened at the same time. The story is based on her real life and describes how she and her family escape from Germany first to Switzerland, then to France and finally to Britain. It shows a young girl growing up under extremely difficult circumstances. She needs to adapt to new countries, new surroundings, new people and, even more difficult, to new languages over and over again. But while all this is happening the only thing that matters to her is that her family stays together. She manages all problems no matter how hard situations may appear. This is something everybody should see as a role model because it can even help nowadays. The story shows that no matter how difficult life can be there is always something that matters more than money or valuables and that are the people surrounding you.When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit is a story that gives hope and perfectly explains the most important bits of history of the Nazi time. The book can be read by young and old equally. In the end, I felt as if I was part of this little family who just wanted to live a normal life together somewhere without having to fear for their lives. The family does not even feel at home anywhere because their home was taken away from them and at the end they are still on the run but I like how even this horrible situation is turned into something positive by the father in the end: “We‘ll belong a little in lots of places, and I think that may be just as good.“ They always kept their chins up and eventually they got out of their situation even stronger than before and that is something I consider as the most important message of this novel.Thanks to Judith Kerr for sharing her own experiences and for enriching us with this great book!Read more of my reviews here: http://booksaroundtheworld.wordpress.com
—Jana
I have been meaning to read this since I was 12 in 1971 when it first came out and finally have gotten around to it. I'm glad I did. This is the story of a nonreligious family of cultural Jews who were smart enough to get out of Berlin right at the time of Hitler's election. The father, a famous journalist and Nazi critic, got word that if Hitler was elected the Nazis were going to take his passport so he slipped out of the country to Prague and then to Switzerland a short time before the election. He then had his wife, daughter Anna, and son Max take the train to Switzerland beginning the day before the election and completing their journey on election day.The "pink rabbit" referred to in the title was Anna's stuffed pink rabbit she had had since she was a baby. She chose to take a newer stuffed dog instead (why couldn't she take both?). The family thought they would come back if Hitler was not elected but he was and then installed himself as Fuhrer and so their things they had stored were all seized, including pink rabbit. Anna regretted leaving it behind as it had been her lovey. My own daughter still has her stuffed black lab puppy toy. In Switzerland, the father cannot get any of the papers to buy his articles. They want to maintain neutrality and he has strong words against the Nazis that could bring trouble in on them. The family later moves to Paris and finally to London. If you are homeschooling or if you teach in a school, obviously this is a great book to share but it must not be the only one you share lest children believe that things were easier than they were. You see, this book makes it look as if Jews who fled the Nazis had it fairly easy. For example, the family was forewarned that the father's passport was likely to be taken so he just hops a train to Prague and then to Switzerland. Money was no problem. He had his wife and kids come to Switzerland and they spent over a month in an expensive hotel and had the doctor in daily due to Anna becoming seriously ill. All meals for all the family were bought in the hotel. Most Jews could not afford to do all of this for a family of 4. They lived for a while in another hotel and again, no one is working. This was not the situation for most Jews. Only once did they run into a bigoted Nazi family.Then they just moved to Paris, rented a place, placed the kids in school, and lived on the few articles he could sell to a radical paper.While times were harder for them, they never went hungry, had a roof over their heads, the kids went to school, and they were clothed. The worst problem was the kids trying to learn French. Finally, when the dad saw a composition Anna did on Napoleon, he wrote his first screenplay which he sold to a Hungarian film company in London and they all dashed there to live. Please! With London being blitzed and a depression on, what is the likelihood that someone's first screenplay is going to be bought for a large price by a Hungarian company in London when he can't even sell articles to the paper and sight unseen? It's a good story but I would include a lot more realistic material and remind children that this is more fairy tale than fact when it comes to the real lives of those Jews who fled Hitler.
—Terri Lynn
