Book Review for Hidden

Book Review by Allie Davis
MLIS 5653  Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Dauvillier, Loic. 2012. Hidden: A Child's Story of the Holocaust. Ill. by Marc Lizano. Color by Greg Salsedo. New York: First Second. ISBN 9781596438736

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
     In Loic Dauvillier's graphic novel centering around the Holocaust, one of the two main characters, Elsa, learns her grandmother's childhood story of what life was like in France during the Nazi occupation.  Elsa is a normal young girl with loving parents who have taken her grandmother, Dounia, into their home to care for her.  Elsa wakes one night to find Dounia crying and in childhood sweetness, asks her to tell Elsa what the bad dream was about.  The story or "bad dream" that ensues is Dounia's remembrance of her experience when the Germans came to France, her family's separation into concentration camps, Dounia's rescue by neighbors and her transformed identity into someone else.  In terms of what children today have learned from social science classes, this historical fiction/graphic novel is culturally accurate in terms of socio-economic status.  Because she was a Jew, Dounia was ostracized at school, she was made to wear a "sheriff's star," and many of her friends were taken away.  Good neighbors help Dounia escape to another country with a new identity and a new mother.  Her "new mother," and eventually her "new father," help her find her real mother who was sent to a concentration camp.  Her father never returns.  
     Historically consistent with the time period of WWII, the atrocious crimes of the era are dealt with in a tasteful manner.  The sad times (job loss, hiding in the wardrobe, her parents being taken) are portrayed in dark picture frames in blacks and browns.  The brief moments of happiness are done in brighter colors, and peaceful family times are the focus of earth tone colors of the countryside where she finds peace for while as she waits for her parents to return.  Job loss, broken businesses, Jewish suppression, and the Gestapo are all illustrated; Dauvillier does not attempt to hide the heinous crimes committed throughout Europe, including France, which is one of the settings of Hidden. 
     Values of the Jewish culture, although demonstrated mostly through graphics, (It's a graphic novel!) are presented respectfully without prejudice or racism.  The Jewish value of multi-generational family care is evident with Dounia living in Elsa's home.  Their value of modesty in clothing is also accurately illustrated in what the characters are wearing, especially the young girls. As I mentioned above, some things are typical of the era: the Jewish Star of David, Dounia being forced to the back of the classroom, graffiti on the Jewish businesses.  However, I do not feel that these are stereo-typically portrayed.  Rather, I feel that these are aspects of history that cannot be glossed over to remain true to the offenses that the Jewish people faced.  The illustrations are created in a manner of respectful remembrance of what they went through.  
     Rarely am I affected by a child's book to the point of tears, but the larger ending frames reveal a secret that the reader does not know until the resolution.  Dounia has never before shared her story with anyone, including her son, until now.  She chose her granddaughter to tell the story to first, I believe, because she sees her as easily accepting of who she was, who she is, and what she has to pass down to her future family.  Instead of being angry that Dounia chose to tell the story first to his daughter and not him, Elsa's father is proud and happy that she finally shared her experience. Dounia cries again. And, the final frame brought me to tears as well, when three generations of family are wrapped in a loving embrace the next morning, completing the story, ending the "bad dream," and securing that Dounia's story will not ever be forgotten. 

AWARDS  

•  Nene Award - Nominated for Award in 2016
• Sydney Taylor Book Award - Nominated for Award in 2015
• Maryland Children's Book Award - Nominated for Award in 2015
• Black-Eyed Susan Book Award- Nominated for Award in 2015
• Nevada Young Reader's Award - Nominated for Award in 2017 
• American Library Associate Notable Book Award -Won Award in 2015
• Mildred L. Batchelder Award - Nominated for Award in 2015

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

• Horn Book Guide, "Color by Greg Salsedo.  In this graphic novel for younger readers, Elsa hears the story of her grandmother Dounia's childhood in Nazi-occupied France.  The format helps reinforce the contract between dark, scary moments and happier times, while the art also helps focus attention on the loving family and other people who helped Dounia.  Small panels tell most of the story; large ones occasionally punctuate big moments."©  Oct. 8, 2014.
• School Library Journal, "...Dauvillier doesn't shy away from the brutal truth in this portrayal of the Holocaust.  Interspersed with Dounia's flashbacks are present-day moments of dialogue between the narrator and Elsa, which are depicted in brown and tan hues.  Elsa asks questions and offers comments that young readers might also be grappling with while reading this tale.  Lizano's stylized illustrations depict characters with oversize heads, reminiscent of "Peanuts" comics, giving this difficult subject age-appropriate touch.  Subdued palette of blues and greens match the story's tone, and the plethora of images highlighting meals, country scenes, and family time places more emphasis on the people who helped one another during this terrible period than on the heinous acts committed.  The final image, one of familial love and peace, will pull the heartstrings..." © March. 1, 2014
• Booklist, "Worried that her grandmother has had a nightmare, a young girl offers to listen to the story, hoping to ease her grandmother's mind. And for the first time since her own childhood, the grandmother opens up about her life during WWII, the start she had to wear, the disappearance of her parents, and being sent to the country where she had to lie about her name and her beliefs. Every year, more stories set during the Holocaust are released, many for children, and this one is particularly well done.  Dauvillier doesn't sugarcoat the horrors of the Holocaust; instead, he shares them from the perspective of a girl young enough to not understand the true scope of the atrocities..." © March 1, 2014

CONNECTIONS

Use as an introduction to Holocaust survivors, multigenerational families, concentration camps, Nazis, neighbors, Jews/religion, and Graphic Novels. 

https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?a=1&tid=38379

http://misshadfieldslibrary.blogspot.com/2016/03/hidden-childs-story-of-holocaust.html

• Have students create their own graphic novels from the book.
• Create a flow chart of the event's of Dounia's childhood.
• Compare and contrast this book to another Holocaust book. 

Gather Books Illustrated by Loic Dauvillier:
Link to author, Loic Dauvillier:  https://us.macmillan.com/author/loicdauvillier/
·       Oliver Twist. ASIN  B010DQC5IA

·       Around the World in 80 Days. B00FF0HPKI

Gather Other Holocaust Books:

• Zullo, Allan.  Escape: Children of the Holocaust.  ISBN 054099293
• Zullo, Allan.  Survivors: True Stories of Childhood in the Holocaust.  ISBN 0439669960
• Ray, Jennifer and Meg Owenson. Jars of Hope: How One Woman Helped Save 2500 Children During the Holocaust.  ISBN 1491465530

 Gather similar graphic novels to read such as:

·       Regis, Faller.  The Adventures of Polo. ISBN 1596431601
·       Spires, Ashley.  Blinky to the Rescue. ISBN 1554535972
·       Smith, Jeff.  Little Mouse Gets Ready. ISBN 1935179241