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mat_tobin's review against another edition
5.0
I have been coming across a lot of picture book biographies recently and I only see them as, potentially, excellent portals into later, adult-aimed biographies and autobiographies. There is a healthy balance between sharing facts through an engaging narrative and using the pictures (rather than photos) to bring to light key moments.
Anne Frank marks this as third time Poole and Barrett have collaborated together and this is so clear in that balance between image and text. Although there is a lot of writing and one could easily argue that this is as much an illustrated text than a picture book, I do think that Poole stands back often and gives space for Barrett to invite the reader into Anne's life through her eloquent watercolours.
The story of Anne Frank is well known enough for no summary to be needed but what I found refreshing about this biography is that it begins with Anne as a baby and ends with her father having her diary returned to him (much of my experience sees Anne only in the annex). Poole is sensitive yet faithful in using Anne's story as a lens in which to watch and understand the persecution of the Jews on many levels and this helps us understand, deeper, why this happened and how. Much of this is often sweepingly covered in curriculum explorations and I found that the book was well researched enough and well written enough to engage and instruct its readers.
An excellent book for exploring the treatment of the Jews in war-torn Europe without asking primary readers to imagine any camp.
Anne Frank marks this as third time Poole and Barrett have collaborated together and this is so clear in that balance between image and text. Although there is a lot of writing and one could easily argue that this is as much an illustrated text than a picture book, I do think that Poole stands back often and gives space for Barrett to invite the reader into Anne's life through her eloquent watercolours.
The story of Anne Frank is well known enough for no summary to be needed but what I found refreshing about this biography is that it begins with Anne as a baby and ends with her father having her diary returned to him (much of my experience sees Anne only in the annex). Poole is sensitive yet faithful in using Anne's story as a lens in which to watch and understand the persecution of the Jews on many levels and this helps us understand, deeper, why this happened and how. Much of this is often sweepingly covered in curriculum explorations and I found that the book was well researched enough and well written enough to engage and instruct its readers.
An excellent book for exploring the treatment of the Jews in war-torn Europe without asking primary readers to imagine any camp.
bardicbramley's review against another edition
4.0
A very sweetly illustrated and simply written retelling of the story of Anne Frank’s life and how her Diary came to be.
It handles her historical context well, with subtlety, and purposefully leads the reader to questions which will help them learn about the Holocaust and World War II in general.
It handles her historical context well, with subtlety, and purposefully leads the reader to questions which will help them learn about the Holocaust and World War II in general.
ubalstecha's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful picture book version of Anne's story. This is a summary of the diary, written for a juior audience. Heartbreaking scene when Anne is captured by the Nazis.
A must for teachers trying to teach the holocaust to their students.
A must for teachers trying to teach the holocaust to their students.
amandaquotidianbooks's review
5.0
This made me want to read the Diary of Anne Frank. It is a poignant tale of Anne's life leading up to the events in her diary and a little bit beyond. It focuses on who she was before she was killed and became a symbol of human resilience and decency (if those are the right terms, at all). Her pain and death are not dramatized, for which I am grateful, but her humanity is celebrated. It also gives the reader a bit of historical insight into the times so he or she can understand how the Jews came to be persecuted. Beautiful illustrations, as well.
whatkatiereadnext's review
5.0
"Anne Frank was no more than a girl, and her short life had come to an end.
But her story was just beginning." - Josephine Poole, Anne Frank
Josephine Poole’s powerful and heartbreaking picture book is a beautifully written account of the tragically short, but extraordinary life of Anne Frank. It is an excellent way of introducing Anne Frank’s story to younger readers and it’s a great segue to The Diary of Anne Frank. We are also given a brief, yet informative background into the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party, the Holocaust and the First and Second World Wars.
She has sensitively covered all of the facts, whilst still keeping the information simplistic and comprehensible enough for younger readers. I really appreciated the addition of a timeline in the back of the book, as it is a more in-depth look at notable events that occurred during Anne Frank’s lifetime and afterward.
Angela Barrett’s beautiful illustrations work perfectly with Josephine Poole’s text, they are simplistic yet so detailed and full of emotion and the muted, sepia-toned colour palette effectively creates atmosphere and a sense of the past.
Despite being a picture book and only 40 pages long, Anne Frank is so important, powerful and covers so much. I would highly recommend this for children and adults alike, though I would suggest it for older children due to the heavy subject matter.
But her story was just beginning." - Josephine Poole, Anne Frank
Josephine Poole’s powerful and heartbreaking picture book is a beautifully written account of the tragically short, but extraordinary life of Anne Frank. It is an excellent way of introducing Anne Frank’s story to younger readers and it’s a great segue to The Diary of Anne Frank. We are also given a brief, yet informative background into the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party, the Holocaust and the First and Second World Wars.
She has sensitively covered all of the facts, whilst still keeping the information simplistic and comprehensible enough for younger readers. I really appreciated the addition of a timeline in the back of the book, as it is a more in-depth look at notable events that occurred during Anne Frank’s lifetime and afterward.
Angela Barrett’s beautiful illustrations work perfectly with Josephine Poole’s text, they are simplistic yet so detailed and full of emotion and the muted, sepia-toned colour palette effectively creates atmosphere and a sense of the past.
Despite being a picture book and only 40 pages long, Anne Frank is so important, powerful and covers so much. I would highly recommend this for children and adults alike, though I would suggest it for older children due to the heavy subject matter.
mat_tobin's review
5.0
I have been coming across a lot of picture book biographies recently and I only see them as, potentially, excellent portals into later, adult-aimed biographies and autobiographies. There is a healthy balance between sharing facts through an engaging narrative and using the pictures (rather than photos) to bring to light key moments.
Anne Frank marks this as third time Poole and Barrett have collaborated together and this is so clear in that balance between image and text. Although there is a lot of writing and one could easily argue that this is as much an illustrated text than a picture book, I do think that Poole stands back often and gives space for Barrett to invite the reader into Anne's life through her eloquent watercolours.
The story of Anne Frank is well known enough for no summary to be needed but what I found refreshing about this biography is that it begins with Anne as a baby and ends with her father having her diary returned to him (much of my experience sees Anne only in the annex). Poole is sensitive yet faithful in using Anne's story as a lens in which to watch and understand the persecution of the Jews on many levels and this helps us understand, deeper, why this happened and how. Much of this is often sweepingly covered in curriculum explorations and I found that the book was well researched enough and well written enough to engage and instruct its readers.
An excellent book for exploring the treatment of the Jews in war-torn Europe without asking primary readers to imagine any camp.
Anne Frank marks this as third time Poole and Barrett have collaborated together and this is so clear in that balance between image and text. Although there is a lot of writing and one could easily argue that this is as much an illustrated text than a picture book, I do think that Poole stands back often and gives space for Barrett to invite the reader into Anne's life through her eloquent watercolours.
The story of Anne Frank is well known enough for no summary to be needed but what I found refreshing about this biography is that it begins with Anne as a baby and ends with her father having her diary returned to him (much of my experience sees Anne only in the annex). Poole is sensitive yet faithful in using Anne's story as a lens in which to watch and understand the persecution of the Jews on many levels and this helps us understand, deeper, why this happened and how. Much of this is often sweepingly covered in curriculum explorations and I found that the book was well researched enough and well written enough to engage and instruct its readers.
An excellent book for exploring the treatment of the Jews in war-torn Europe without asking primary readers to imagine any camp.
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