The Cat Who Lived With Anne Frank

December 15, 2018
The Holocaust through the eyes of a cat. When Peter joins the Frank family in the Secret Annex, he brings his cat along and it is this cat, named Mouschi, who is the storyteller, narrating in a stylized voice. Mouschi is drawn to Anne and her diary, and unlike the people in hiding, he can explore the Amsterdam neighborhood where he sees "armed Black Spider Soldiers and Dogs patrol, snarl, bark." The authors reference this description of the swastika to a line spoken by one of the von Trapp children in the movie The Sound of Music. In addition, Mouschi refers to Jews as "Yellow Stars," which the authors deem "a fine feline fit." Digitized ink, acrylic, and pencil illustrations use an intense blue for the hideout but present a colorful city and brightly lit nighttime windows, all this despite blackouts enforced during World War II. Brief but inspiring quotations from Anne's diary are hand-lettered. The authors gloss over the exact horror of the deportations and killings even though, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 107,000 Jews were deported to concentration camps from the Netherlands, with 5,200 surviving. Or as the author's note unfortunately says: "Many Jews were forced into labor or killed." Admiration for Anne's writings is always good to see, but this fanciful cat's-eye view minimizes the events and the systematic annihilation. (sources) (Picture book. 8-10)

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February 1, 2019

Gr 2-5-This gentle introduction to one of the darkest times in modern history is narrated by an observant cat. Young readers learn about the Yellow Stars or Jews, who are forbidden to own pets or walk the streets, where the Black Spiders or Nazi soldiers patrol. Instead, they must hide in secret rooms, in zoos, in abandoned theaters-anywhere out of sight. Mouschi tells about his boy Peter who lives with parents and his classmate Anne and her family in the secret annex above a spice factory. By day, the eight people in the tiny, crowded attic sleep or lie still. "Because if just one of us steps on a creaky board, sneezes or knocks a book from a shelf, someone might hear and know Yellow Stars are hiding. And the Black Spider soldiers will come." Mouschi tells readers about Anne's diary, "Kitty," a moniker which he believes refers to himself. Several diary excerpts are interspersed throughout revealing Anne's guilt for being warm and safe while her friends are "dropping from exhaustion or being knocked to the ground" in the streets. Youngsters understand there is a war and bombs, the Annex is in Holland, and the Jewish people are in danger. Still, the book ends on a positive note. As Mouschi and his people nap, they dream ."..dreams more powerful than bombs. Dreams of Anne's kind and gentle spirit...lighting up the world forever." The illustrations, created with ink, acrylic, pencil, and digitally, show the families in cramped dark quarters while the lovely Amsterdam streets are crowded with soldiers with vicious dogs, red flags bearing swastikas, and bombs. Historical notes and sources are appended. VERDICT This introduction to the Holocaust can also provide a starting point for more in-depth study, reading, and discussion.-Barbara Auerbach, Cairo Public Library, NY

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