Anne Frank's Chestnut Tree

Kohuth, Jane. 2013. ANNE FRANK’S CHESTNUT TREE. Ill. by Elizabeth Sayles. New York: Random House. ISBN 0449812556 [Suggested Grade Levels 1 - 3]

REVIEW 

Anne Frank hasn’t been outside for 597 days.  She could be sad, but being able to see the sky and the big chestnut tree from the window helps her cope.  When war came to Anne’s doorstep, her family decided to hide.  They were Jews and the Nazi’s had invaded her country, Holland.  Since the Nazi’s were sending people like her to concentration camps, she and her family ended up in a very tiny place and shared that hiding place with others as well.  When she wasn’t feeling brave, nature, and that chestnut tree, helped her to have hope.

This Step Into Reading® book is not only easy to read, but helps youngsters understand the Jews’ plight in Nazi occupied areas without going into gory details.  The sweet, but sometimes sullen, illustrations help communicate the seriousness of this story without giving up hope.  Floor plans of the hiding place help children see what close quarters Jews hid in to escape capture.  At the end of the story, a photo of the house in which Anne Frank lived, and a URL to the Anne Frank web site could help curious students enhance their learning about a dark time in history.

CONNECTIONS

Have students explore the Anne Frank web site to learn more about what she experienced in her short life – AnneFrank.org.

RELATED BOOKS
Abramson, Ann. WHO WAS ANNE FRANK? ISBN 0448444828
Prins, Marcel. HIDDEN LIKE ANNE FRANK: 14 TRUE STORIES OF SURVIVAL. ISBN 0545543622

By Lisa M. Zinkie