Hidden Hope
| Modern Age |
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 Hidden Hope
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World History > Modern Age > WWII / Holocaust
The remarkable true story of how a toy duck smuggled forged identity papers for Jewish refugees during WWII During World War II, a social worker named Jacqueline bicycled through the streets of Paris, passing Nazi soldiers and carrying a toy duck to share with the children she visited. What the Nazis didn’t know, however, was that Jacqueline wasn’t a social worker at all, but a Jewish member of the French Resistance.
Families across Europe went into hiding as the Nazis rounded up anyone Jewish. The Star of David, a symbol of faith and pride, became a tool of hate when the Nazis forced people to wear the star on their clothing and carry papers identifying them as Jewish, so that it was clear who to arrest. But many brave souls dared to help them.
Jacqueline was one of them. She risked her life in secret workshops, where forgers created false identity papers. But how to get these life-saving papers to families in hiding? The toy duck held the answer.
Written by award-winning journalist Elisa Boxer and movingly illustrated by the acclaimed Amy June Bates, Hidden Hope, a true story, celebrates everyday heroism, resilience, the triumph of the human spirit, and finding hope in unexpected places.
Emily's Review
I'm always looking for picture books about the Holocaust, so I was excited to spot this one at our local library on the New Release shelf.
This is a story about a young Jewish woman working with the resistance to help others to escape Nazi-occupied France. The story is written in a very gentle way, so it's a perfect introduction to the subject. Another reason I particularly love this book is that it shows that Jews worked against the Nazis to save people. The main character in this book is a young woman named Jacqueline, who hid her Jewish identity in order to help others to escape using a hollowed-out toy duck made specifically for this purpose. It is important when teaching about the Holocaust to not only read from the perspective of Jewish people, but to read about Jewish resistance.
I loved the artwork in this book too, the pictures were beautiful and they paired well with the story. I think that while this is a picture book, it would appeal to a wide age range. I read it with my 14-year-old and she enjoyed it just as much as I did.
Other Similar Books
Other suggestions on the subject of the Jewish Resisitance.
- Hidden Hope (by: Boxer, Elisa, France, LE, MG)
- Courage to Dream: Tales of Hope in the Holocaust (by: Shusterman, Neal, various, UMG, YA)
- Wrath Becomes Her (by: Polydoros, Aden, Lithuania, YA, A)
- The Librarian of Auschwitz (by: Iturbe, Antonio, Poland, YA, A)
- 28 Days: A Novel of Resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto (by: Safier, David, Poland, YA, A)
- My Name is Selma (by: van de Perre, Selma, Netherlands, YA, A)