Customer Reviews

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

ISBN 0440490170 - I've always loved books about WWII, because it's a time in history that is so full of stories of endurance and courage. When I picked this one up, I had my doubts about how well this era could be related in a kids' book - and I am so happy to say, it is excellent. The "secrets her parents are keeping" in an earlier review don't exist. They're Jews, they live in Germany and they flee - no secret.

Anna and her family live in Germany as Hitler is coming into power, and her father is one of the lucky ones who knew this was a bad thing before it was too late. On the eve of the elections, her family flees to Zurich and begins a new life as refugees. For Anna and her brother Max, this is an adventure, even if they are sad to leave their home and friends. They believe they will be able to come home in six months, so they are not heartbroken over it. They begin school, make new friends and learn new things - not all of them good - while their parents struggle to make ends meet. Her father, a famous writer, can't get regular work for good money and her mother has to learn to do things for herself and her family that they once hired people do to for them. From Zurich to Paris and eventually to England, Anna's family loses everything they own but learn that all they really need is one another.

There are some hilarious moments, such as when Anna's teacher tells the class that cavemen used safety pins, and some moments of triumph for everyone. Anna's and Max's success with French is a high point, as is their father's selling a screenplay. Without a doubt, the saddest moment isn't when Hitler stole pink rabbit, but when news of Onkel Julius' suicide reaches the family. For parents worried about that, it's written vaguely enough that a lot of kids will have to come to parents to really understand the passage. This is an excellent story, with Hitler and the Nazis not exactly starring in it - Anna's story is much more a day-to-day story than a rehashing of the war.

- AnnaLovesBooks

This is probably the best book I've ever read. It is about a girl named Anna who is forced to fled her country with her family in hopes of not being found by the Nazi's. And it shows the struggles and difficulties that Anna's family had to go through in battle of finding freedom. It is a very compelling story that takes place in World War II. And It will keep you wondering. I read this book when I was in 6th grade and never found it again. I am going to order it and I hope you all do. It is a very good book that teaches the reader about WWII and is still appropreate for the young reader. It is Highly Recommended!

Are you looking for a book that you can't put down, and will want to read again and again? Well, you found it! When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit is so adventurous that you'll want to come back for more! I would, and after you read it, give this book five stars! Maybe even ten stars! And School Library Journal and Booklist agree that this autobiographical novel absorbs your true feelings about this time period.
I'm very pleased with this book because it shows her feelings when things happen to her though out the book. An example would be when she found out she was going to be moving country to country. She felt excited about the whole thing and really wanted to go to Paris, France. This book also tells about the personalities of others. Take her grandmother Omama for an example. The book said Omama never moved without her dachshund Pumpel.
This book can change your point of view of her and her family because of what they go thought all though the book. You'll find out where she moves and what she has to learn to fit in. She will have to learn different languages and customs. And there are new friends in every county that she goes to. Judith Kerr, the author, is so talented that you'll think that you are the book experiencing everything that they go though. Come experience it for yourself!

I first read this book at about age 10 and have since read it numerous times. I have an 8 year old and she is now beginning to read it (with a little help from me). To say the least, this was my favourite book as a youth. It's easy to place yourself in Anna's shoes and dream about what it would have been like to be in a similar plight.

I cannot recommend this book enough for children (male or female) around age 10...especially American youth whose perspective can be opened beyond what most have experienced at this age. There's nothing to offend in the book though a few questions may come up. Other reviewers give you the plot...I will refrain from repeating.

To my delight, I discovered that there are two sequels to the book written by Kerr: Small Person Far Away, The Other Way Round. Guess what two books are next on my reading list?

I first encountered "When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit" at the age of ten. My school's library was receiving a shipment of brand-new books and therefore was giving away the older ones to any students who wanted them. Among others, this book caught my eye and I took it home. I read it within a few days. As soon as I finished it I turned back to the first page and began to read it again. This beautiful story set in the 1930s, shortly before the beginning of World War II, is warm and inspiring as it follows a young Jewish refugee and her family across three different countries and several trials and tribulations. At the risk of sounding too cliche, it made me laugh, it made me cry, and it always reminds me of how important families are and how pure, simple love can save your life.
I would strongly recommend this touching, autobiographical tale to anyone with an appreciation of history, family values, and good story-telling.

This book is about the life of Anna, a Jewish schoolgirl forced to flee her home in Germany once the Nazis rise to power. From there we follow Anna and family - her parents and older brother Max - as they try to adapt to life in countries not their own - first in the German-speaking region in Switzerland, then in France.

"Pink Rabbit" is not a sophisticated book. We see things through young Anna's eyes, and they're framed accordingly. But it is wonderfully written, touches on the difficulties children and families face in similar situations - not necessarily as refugees, but all people who have to adjust to a new culture. Nor does it shy away from dealing with some difficult issues. The illustrations, which I think were done by the author, are charming, and Max's attempts at writing essays in French are priceless.

Not enough people are familiar with this book - a shame. I'm forever loaning my copy to others, always to excellent reviews. Please give it a chance - this book truly deserves it!

With THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK, you had the story of a family who chose to hide, but in this book you have the story of a family who did the smart thing early in Hitler's rise to power. Anna's father was a writer and a Jew. Warned that his passport was about to be confiscated, he got out of Germany. Anna and her brother Max find this out only after he's gone. That begins their own preparations to leave. Two weeks later they're in Switzerland, the first new country in Anna's life. The book is very well written and semi-autobiographical. The author herself was forced to leave Germany in 1933 (her father was a drama critic). Presented from 9-year-old Anna's point-of-view, it has tantalizing glimpses of what was going on in Europe. Several overheard conversations both alarm and intrigue Anna. Her own efforts to excel in school and fit in, first in Switzerland and then in France, are very good. This is tame enough for children to read, but informative for adults who know more history.

At age nine, Anna is living in Berlin, surrounded by family, friends, and a world of plenty. But Anna's world is about to change, because it is 1933, because Hitler is about to be elected and her father is a famous Jewish writer. Suddenly, her father disappears and almost as quickly, their mother spirits Anna and older brother, Max, out of Germany to join their father in safety in Switzerland. But now, there is hardly any money, the children and their parents live in a tiny village inn room and must adjust to a new community with unusual customs. Anna turns ten in Switzerland, but she'll soon be moving on to Paris in the hopes that their father can make some kind of living. But, as long as their together, Anna doesn't care if they are refugees. How long can they survive moving from place to place, and how long before Hitler moves across Europe? This true account of a young girl's experiences of life on the run from evil will demonstrate some of the evil of Hitler while refraining from the graphic horrors which fell on so many children and their families.

This all starts when 9 year old Anna gets rushed out of Germany with her whole family because her father is wanted dead or alive by Hitler. She has to leave all she knows well for a country which is unknown to her, Switzerland. Living in a hotel for a couple of years with no money to spend, Anna and her family move to France where they have to live in a small and dusty flat. Anna has to go to a French school even though she does not know a single word of french. After struggling for 2 years, Anna can finally speak fluently in French but just when she's starting to enjoy France, she moves to England after her father's movie script is bought by an English company. Stuck in poverty for 6 years, she finally gets to have a better life with her family. This book is very enjoyable and I recommend it to any people, any age.

"When Hitler stole Pink Rabbit" isn't a book I would normally find myself reading but once I got started I couldn't put it down. Judith Kerr really brought her characters to life. It's about a jewish girl named Anna and her families struggles to stay one step ahead of Hitler and the Nazi's. Moving from country to country as they try to avoid Hitler's reign. Anna's father speaks out against the Nazi empire which causes them to put a price on his head. This is an uplifting story that should be read by all.