Hidden • Literary Grand Rounds

Hidden: A Child’s Story of the Holocaust by Loïc Dauvillier, Marc Lizano, Greg Salsedo

Posted by Shweta.


You might have read many stories about the horrors of the Holocaust but unlike many such, this one is full of hope. A young Jewish girl by name Dounia is hidden by her kind-hearted neighbours when her parents are taken to the concentration camps. While she waits for news about her parents, she is taken care of by people who in the face of adversity and constant threat of discovery, try to make her childhood seem as normal as possible.

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It is directed towards a younger readership hence the illustrations and the dialogues are kept simple. However, the story is as potent in pictures as it would have been in prose. At places, these illustrations convey emotions way better than what words could ever attempt to.

Explaining the World Wars and the effect of the Holocaust to younger kids isn’t an easy task. They tend to ask many questions and expect straight forward answers to some that would involve describing things beyond their understanding. Broaching subjects like this requires special effort and Hidden attempts to build a bridge in that regard. It helps introduce the story through pictures and tries to make children understand the effects of World War II, if not in entirety then at least in a singular perspective .

If you ever plan to talk to your children about this subject, Hidden would a good place to start.

Review copy provided by First Second Books