Anne Frank

by Josephine Poole

How did an ordinary little girl come to live such an extraordinary life? This picture book biography tells the incredible story of Anne Frank for a younger audience.

Anne Frank's diary telling the story of her years in hiding from the Nazis has affected millions of people. But what was she like as a small girl, at home with her family and friends; at play and at school? In the first half of the book we meet Anne as a small child growing up with her family in Germany. Then we follow her flight to Holland to escape the Nazis; the German invasion and the gradual isolation, then outright persecution, of the Jewish population which forces the family into hiding; the years in the Secret Annex; and her last heart-breaking journey.

Told with haunting, meticulously researched illustrations, this is the ideal introduction to Anne Frank's story.

Genres: Biography, Picture Books, Holocaust, History, Nonfiction, World War II, Childrens

40 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Jane Penelope Josephine Helyar known by her nom de plume Josephine Poole is the renowned author of several books for children and young adults. Her first book was published in 1961, and she has also written extensively for television. She lives in Somerset.

https://whistlesinthewind.wordpress.c...

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book with text and illustrations on each page that tells the story of Anne Frank and her family. The story starts with Anne's birth in the happy Frank family and takes you through their hiding and sadly to point when Miep hands the diary to Anne's father.

The illustrations are beautiful and the text gets the balance right between being suitable for the age group and not skimping on the truth.

A wonderful introduction to Anne Frank.

[Jimena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahora sólo me falta leerme el diario.

[Sue Seligman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect introduction to the story of Anne Frank for young children! Beautiful illustrations!

[Bernice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first time I have seen the story of Anne Frank in a picture book format. The story is a narration of Anne Frank's life from when she was a little girl to the time she was hidden away in the annex during the war. Although it is a picture book, the story and authenticity of what happened were real. I could feel myself as I read the intense emotions of what I knew was going to happen. Although it is story of just one girl, it gives the reader an idea of what life was like for Jewish families and how it changed over the years in the war. As mentioned in our textbook, the illustrations brought hard-to imagine settings to life. Children are able to see how all Jewish people had to wear the yellow star of David and what it was like to live in a cramped annex space away from the rest of the world. Due to the sensitive content in the story, I would not recommend it to children under the age of 10. It would be a great story to use in a classroom learning about the war and the Holocaust.

[Zulekha Saqib · Rating 3 out of 5]

a moving story that makes you think & leaves you asking questions! the illustrations are absolutely stunning!

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations

[Georgia Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Anne Frank beautifully told in a picturebook. The story is more accessible for younger children and yet so powerful. The illustrations are simple and yet so effective, the colours, frames and mood all enhance how awful the situation for this family was. There are so many things that could be used to stimulate discussion and writing with a class. Would be a great introduction to the events of WW2.

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poole and Barrett team up again with another weighty story of a girl who died at a young age. The story tells Frank's life from birth, lingering on the period we know from her diary. I appreciated the sobriety of the illustrations, though they are not dark, and emphasize joy when appropriate. Personally I would not read this to a younger child, but for older children learning about WWII, this would be a good resource.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hauntingly beautiful introduction to the Anne Frank story in the form of a picture book.

[Hope · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The World War II time period has always interested me, so this book definitely tied into that interest and taught me a lot I did not already know about Anne Frank. The author did a wonderful job of being unbiased in her writing and delivering a true nonfiction book while also including the emotion behind this true story. I do not often cry when reading children's books like others might, but this book really did bring me close to tears.

As a future teacher, I will definitely write this book down as a book to use in my classroom. Not only does the book present lots of good information, it also includes lots of detailed illustrations that would interest children and still stick with the tone of the message. Also the fact that Anne Frank is seen is such as important character in history, but was only a few years older than the students makes this lesson relevant to them and shows how you can be influential at any age.

[Amari Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS BOOK! I’ve always enjoyed learning about Anne Frank. This is easily one of my favorite books about her that I have read. This would be a great book to read in the classroom when learning about the Holocaust. Although Anne Frank is known for her personal diary, this book helps explain the feelings of the German people. Having books that include characters from all over the world, that come from different backgrounds help expose children to better understand that we are all different. It teaches them to be more open minded and more aware of just how normal it is to all be different.

[Red Ball · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anne Frank is a biographical picture book that serves as a solid introduction to Holocaust history for readers in third through sixth grade. Angela Barrett’s illustrations feature muted colors, setting a somber tone as Nazi influence gets closer to Anne and her family. (The illustration of Anne saying goodbye to her cat is especially touching, but I am biased.)
Josephine Poole provides a succinct historical background throughout the book without overshadowing Anne’s story. Over half of Anne Frank takes place before she moves into the annex, which is refreshing as most Anne Frank stories predominantly feature her life in hiding. The final page gives a timeline beginning with the end of WWI through Otto Frank’s death in 1980, giving readers even more context to how this tragedy came to occur, and how Anne’s book continues to live on.

[eleanor]

i don’t feel comfortable rating or reviewing this book & i don’t believe it needs a rating or a review from me

[Kim Paral · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a great picture biography, and would be very appropriate for an introduction novel into the World War II unit. It has wonderful pictures throughout the book that share the life of Anne Frank. I learned about Anne Frank when I was in Elementary School, and remember that it was used as an introduction as to what the war was about, and painted a picture of who the Nazis and Jews were during that time period.

This book begins with facts that include where and when Anne Frank was born and also introduced her parents and family. The reason this would be a good introduction is because it gives a brief overview of who Hitler was and what was happening to Jewish people during this time period and why. Students will immediately begin asking questions and I think this captures a 5th graders interestafter reading some of the key facts. The book does a great job of not only explaining what life was like during this timeframe, but helps outline what the Jews had to do and why they had to hide. The story of how Anne's family had to hide away is described appropriately for 5th graders and explains that if they did not hide, they would be taken to a concentration camp.

What I think is most interesting, though, is that the book discusses the situations Anne was faced with while she was hiding in an Attic for what was almost 2 full years. This could show students what types of hardships she faced and how much she and the other Jews struggled during this timeframe all because of what religion they were. There are so many components a teacher could touch on with this book and I think it's great to introduce a lot of the key topics.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Debbie Hoskins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angela Barrett is just the best. She does romanticize, but what's wrong with beauty? Ethereal illustrations, gorgeous book, text does not detract from the illustrations. Lovely book.
When I think of Mary being a 13 year old Jewish girl, I think of Anne Frank. Last year I painted a picture of Anne Frank for my Christmas card.

[Bibliomaniaque · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un album qui nous présente davantage le "avant" l'Annexe que le pendant, contrairement aux autres oeuvres que j'ai lues. On en apprend sur les débuts de cette haine envers les Juifs.

[Nevada Libert · Rating 4 out of 5]

what a good book, i love her bravery.

[Jon Holleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne Frank's story is well-known. A German Jew, her family emigrated to the Netherlands to escape Adolf Hitler's reign of terror, only to once more be forced to endure the evils of Nazism when Hitler invaded and conquered their new country. When Anne's older sister receives a letter ordering her to report for labor service, Anne and her family escape to a secret annex of rooms in her dad's office building. Here, she lives in cramped, mostly silent conditions for the next two years. Her solace becomes a diary she was given as a birthday present. In it, she penned a description of life in the annex, with her thoughts, feelings, and the events and happenings, and dramas of everyday life.
This picture book biography is written at a fifth grade level, so it would be an appropriate read-aloud for younger students, since the teacher could provide scaffolds while reading aloud; for upper elementary students, who could read it independently; and as a part of an introduction to the Holocaust for middle school students. I could see using this book to introduce Anne Frank to a middle school audience, perhaps as an introductory piece to teaching her diary. It would be an ideal book to use in Social Studies for seventh grade, as the first few pages introduce the conditions in Germany that led to the rise of Hitler; the Nazis anti-Semitic efforts at targeting the Jews; and the first year of World War II, as they began to take over other the Netherlands and other countries in Europe.
This is a WOW book for me as it is beautifully illustrated by Angela Barrett, and it is succinct in conveying information about the beginnings of the Holocaust and World War II. Poole's use of figurative language is inventive and sprinkled through the text. She artfully shows the Nazis increasing effects on Anne's life, dramatizing what life was like for Jewish children through Anne's lens. I recommend this for students from second to eighth grade, and especially for those wanting to learn more about Anne or the Holocaust.

[Emily Elkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Level: 5.1

Book Summary: Through this book the short life of Anne Frank is discussed both before and after Hitler's reign of terror. Anne was a young girl when her family was forced to flee to Amsterdam from Germany. When the German military moved into Amsterdam her family was forced to live above her father's old office for two years and they weren't allowed to leave the apartment.

Bookshelf Genre: Biography

Characteristics that support the genre: Biographies discuss people's lives. This book discusses Anne Frank's life from the time she was born until she died in a Nazi concentration camp.

Bookshelf Mentor Writing Traits: The book is in chronological order of Anne Frank's life. It starts off with her as a little girl in Germany. Then her family moved from Germany to Amsterdam because of the way the Jews were being treated in Germany. After a little while of being in Amsterdam the German Army moved in and the Franks were forced to live above Mr. Franks old office. They were not allowed to leave this apartment because if they were caught they would be arrested. After a couple of years in this apartment they were found and sent to the concentration camps. Anne's father was the only member of the family to survive this.

Classroom Integration: Anne Frank is one of the more prevalent names you hear about when discussing the Holocaust. I would use her biography as part of a World War II or more specifically Holocaust Unit. I feel students should know about this horrible time in world history and hopefully learn from it.

[Mathew · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"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.

[Monique Gil · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was is about a young girl by the name of Anne Frank. It tells of her life from beginning to end. Her story was while Adolf Hitler was ruling Germany and getting rid of the Jews because he believed that the Jew were the reason Germany was desperately poor. This book describes what Anne’s family went through and how hard it was for them up until the end when they were taken to the concentration camp where the Frank’s died except Otto Frank, Anne’s father. He was only left with his daughter’s diary given to him by his assistant Miep after she found it up in the attic after the Franks were taken. I enjoyed reading this book because it gave a great retelling of Anne Frank’s life in a child-friendly way but also not shying away from the hard reality that it was back in world war two when all that chaos was going on. If we were doing a lesson on the holocaust I would choose to read this book with my students. We would also look at other picture books that touch on the holocaust. I would really like to have my students create a graffiti wall representing what was in this book and other books about the holocaust to demonstrate the hardships, the hope, and the heart break that is still relevant today. This will also help me as the teacher assess what they understand about the holocaust.

[Bookbag_Betty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dear Kitty -

This Is For You - From Your Daughter Anne

TRAVELED TO // Prinsengracht 263, Amsterdam, The Secret Annex
MET ALONG THE WAY // Anne Frank, Margot Frank, Otto Frank, Peter Van Daan, Miep

[John Mullarkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was interested in finding an accessible read aloud about Anne Frank for a younger class audience and this one was just right. We know the story of Anne Frank very well. I feel that her diary is an important opportunity for middle school and high school students to read, discuss, and share. However, the complex nature of World War II and the Nazi occupation of European countries as the war progressed and the Holocaust can be daunting and difficult for elementary students tgrasp. There are many wonderful picture books written about Anne, her hiding in the attic, and her diary - but Josephine Poole's edition perfectly fit what I was looking for; Anne's brief and tragic life is portrayed with fitting dignity. She is really like any teenager - her hopes and dreams - and living a normal life clashed through the horrors of war and occupation is written in a way very suitable for younger audience. Anne is given a quiet dignity - some details are evident, while others may need some explaining to the inquisitive. Angela Barrett's artwork fits the text with it's soft tones and realistic details. This is a book for all ages; it is a very strong introduction to Anne's life and diary.

[Meghan Hardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne Frank written by Josephine Poole is the story of Anne Frank and her family during Nazi rule in Germany. This story is about how Anne coped and survived during and before she was in hiding for two years with her family. This story will live on forever.

Anne Frank is such a brave young girl and I think it is so important that her story keeps being told. I think a short, easy-to-read picture book is the great way to start teaching young children about the horrible things that went on in the world during the World Wars. I enjoyed this book even knowing that it would have a sad ending because Anne Frank's story was so powerful and she shared so much with the world even after her death.

Use during a history lesson when talking about Hilter, World War Two, concentration camps and everything involved. This book could be used to teach kids how to journal and tell their own story. Have kids write down questions they would like to ask Anne Frank. How might she have responded?

[Aaliyah Scott-Sexton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne Frank by Josephine Poole is a lovely novel. This is a fantastic start to such a momentous tale. This narrative stands out more to me and, I'm sure, to my future students since it is presented with visuals. The narrative is told from the time Anne Frank was a child until she had to go into hiding during the war. I read the text and studied the visuals, and as I did so, I felt every feeling become stronger because of how real it was. This book provided me the best impression possible of what it was like to live as a Jew at that particular time. As a future teacher, I believe this book might be an excellent supplement to the curriculum since the drawings help kids (recommended for grades 5 and above) understand why Jews were required to wear the Star of David and what it was like to live in a confined space cut off from the rest of the world. This would go in well with a lesson on the Holocaust or the conflicts of the era. I wouldn't advise the lower ages of adolescence to read the illustrated edition of this book because it contains highly sensitive material.

[Calla Parks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the life of Anne Frank, from birth until being taken from the hidden attic by the Nazis. The books illustrated to be compelling yet easy-to-understand "first" introduction to the Holocaust as witnessed by Anne and her family. This book gives a detailed timeline of important events in Europe and in the Frank family is included.

This book is magical, I love the illustrations. And how the story is presented. It doesn’t jump right in the the holocaust, it gives an intro of her and how she fits into that puzzle.

This book would be perfect for any age group talking about the holocaust, it allows for the students to be engaged with the pictures and story! After reading this book, I would have the kids create their own diary, and for a week or so have the write in it at times throughout the day!

[Grace Ramseur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Biography
Awards: None
Audience: Grades 5-6th
A. This book is a complete biography because the author delves deep into Anne Frank's life, not just one particular event or setting. The author walks the reader through her whole life and how different events affected her and her legacy.
B. This book is a fictionalized biography because there is no way the author could know all these details about her life without witnessing them firsthand, which she did not. The facts and story is carefully researched though and the conversations depicted, although rare in this story, are probably extremely close to accurate.
C. Why was Anne bullies just because she was a Jew? Why were Jews made to wear a big yellow start on them all the time?

[Destini · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fantastic book to read. This book was required to read back in grade school, but I never fully understood it. Being able to read it again helped open my eyes and see what really happened during World War Two. It was incredible to hear about what happened from someone who was really there and experienced it. Anne Frank, says, “I don’t think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.” Even though Anne Frank is going through a lot, she is still able to look at the bright side. I highly recommend reading this book. It is very inspiring and helps people learn more about what happened during the Holocaust.