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  • Anne Frank’s Chestnut Tree by Jane Kohuth
  • Hope Morrison
Kohuth, Jane Anne Frank’s Chestnut Tree; illus. by Elizabeth Sayles. Random House, 2013 [48p] (Step into Reading) Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-449-81255-6 $12.99 Library ed. ISBN 978-0-375-97115-0 $14.99 Paper ed. ISBN 978-0-307-97579-9 $3.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-375-98113-5 $3.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 2-4

“I firmly believe that nature can bring comfort to all who suffer,” Anne Frank wrote, and while in hiding in the now-famous annex in Amsterdam during World War II, she would occasionally sneak up to the attic for a peek out the window at the chestnut tree growing outside to track the seasons. This easy-reader introduction to Anne Frank’s life effectively uses that theme of nature to offer an abbreviated and accessible overview of Anne’s tragic and remarkable life. The summary of life events is appropriately succinct without being oversimplified; major historical factors are included, anti-Semitism is explained (“The Nazis blamed the world’s problems on Jewish people”), and the fear of living in hiding is effectively presented. The tree is an effective central symbol in a story about a young adult holding onto hope, and occasional quotes add further depth to the narrative. Sayles’ acrylic paintings offer plenty of visual support for the story; the portraits, possibly based on photographs, effectively capture the historical figures. A final chapter provides additional information about the Annex and the tree’s cultural impact; there is a brief author’s note, and a few suggestions for further reading, but no source notes are provided. That aside, this would be a useful text to have on hand for struggling upper-elementary readers involved in Holocaust units or those needing an accessible title for a biography assignment. [End Page 163]

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