One of the traditions, in Judaism, is to retell the story. This is especially true of the Holocaust. The people who survived it are dying off, as it gets further and further away from the present generation. The stories we are hearing now, are those that are being told by their children and grandchildren. It is good that there is some witness, even though it is once or even twice removed.

You might think we have had enough stories of the holocaust, be they novels or picture books, but each story is different, and each story should be told. This one, of two sisters, who survived the camps, was apparently written by first cousins, who had heard their mothers tell the story often enough that they could tell it as their own.

The pictures, as seen here, are very bleak, but then, so is the story and subject itself.

<img src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Screen-Shot-2018-02-08-at-12.01.04-AM.png">

and here is the picture of the sisters all grown up.
<img src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Screen-Shot-2018-02-07-at-11.58.24-PM.png">

This is a very harsh, but very easy to read book on the holocaust, which would be good in school libraries, as well as public libraries.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

*thank you to Netgalley and Second Story Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4 stars.
This is the first children's picture book based on the Holocaust and Auschwitz that I've seen and read. To write and illustrate a book such as this for children needs to be done well and right. I believe that given the horrendous and emotional topic, there is a fine line between just how much to mention to such a young audience, but this story was very well told. It focused on the love between the two sisters Rachel and Toby while staying true to the events and cruelty of what it was like inside the camp without overly doing it. At first I will admit I wasn't a fan of the artwork, but by the end of the book, I can see now that it actually fits pretty perfectly with the story. You dont want the whole cute, beautiful and colourful illustrations you see in most childrens books because this story is not your typical childrens book. It is a story of a very dark time and the illustrations show that. Based on a true story, this is defiantly one book I would recommend. I really enjoyed seeing the pictures in the back of the real-life sisters and hearing that they remained so close throughout their lives.