This simple biography introduces young readers to Anne Frank. The book focuses on how Anne Frank has become a worldwide inspiration, and includes concepts like war and racism in an ageappropriate way

Anne Frank, a young girl was in hiding during World War II from the Nazis. Her and her family found shelter in the attic of her father’s bookstore. They where had limited contact with the outside world during this time. Their only way of knowing what was going on around them was from a radio the often listened to at night. Anne loved to write in her journal that she received on her 13th birthday. While in the attic she was able to see a chestnut tree. Anne would often gaze at the watching the seasons past through an opening in the window curtain. Before the war was declared over Anne and her family were found and sent away to a concentration camp. Were Anne had died. When her journal entries were found they were hidden and preserved. Anne wrote of the Chestnut Tree so much that many fought hard to preserve it. Unable to save the tree as a whole, they planted and shipped saplings from the tree all over.

This book was a great read, and reminder of the story of Anne Frank. As I recall reading her story as a child, I have very little memory of a chestnut tree. Anne writings lived on past her existence like she had wanted, her story as been told all over the world. Remarkably the tree lives on as well through its saplings, and stands in Anne Frank’s memory all over as well. ( )

"Anne did not survive the war." Even in a book about Anne Frank written for early readers, it's remarkable the word Holocaust is never used. Lame and pointless. ( )

“Anne Frank’s Chestnut Tree” is a tragic, but informational story that I liked reading. This book is a great resource to use when teaching students about the Holocaust. In the story, Anne Frank is an engaging, real-life character hiding from the German invasion. From her perspective, readers can view the story, and its history, firsthand through her eyes. Clearly, this story pushes readers to think about tough issues, particularly the Holocaust tragedy, in a way that they are able to understand. The plot is easy to follow as Anne Frank writes about her life before the German’s invaded Holland, and her life hiding in the secret Annex. The main idea of this book is to inform readers about the history of the Holocaust and what Anne Frank’s life was like during this time. ( )

In my opinion, this is a great book to inform young readers about the story of Anne Frank. I liked this book because the illustrations are good representations of the written text. I love how the author included a map of the layout of Anne’s hiding place. I also liked how the illustrator used a wide range of colors in her illustrations. For example, on one page the illustration is of Anne in her hiding spot working on school work. The room is incredibly dark, but in the corner the door is slightly cracked open, letting in a touch of bright yellow light. This is a great way to show how trapped Anne feels. At one point, Anne is running up and down the stairs thinking to herself, “Let me out, where’s the fresh air and laughter!” and the image displays her looking up toward the bright light with a hopeless expression on her face. I like the author’s writing because it is realistic to that of how a young girl would think and feel when put in such a disheartening situation as Anne’s. The author mentions Anne’s hopes and fears throughout the book, and frequently includes excerpts that Anne wrote in her diary in real life. The big idea of this book is to inform readers about Anne Frank’s life during her two year hideaway. ( )