Published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers

Summary:  The author recounts the story of her childhood, beginning with a happy life with her parents, younger sister, best friend Marika, and most of all, her special dog Bodri.  Then soldiers came to their town, and everything changed.  Jews like the author and her family could no longer go places, and the two best friends couldn’t play together.  Eventually, her family was taken away to a concentration camp, and the two sisters separated from their parents.  They almost died, but Hédi kept dreaming about Bodri, and the memories kept her going.  Finally, the two girls–emaciated, with their heads shaved–were free, and Hédi and Bodri had a miraculous reunion.  “We are here, and we go on telling everyone about what happened.  So that it will never happen again.”  32 pages; grades 2-5.

Pros:  A moving Holocaust story, with an unusual focus on what happened to the family dog.  The illustrations of the girls in the concentration camp are disturbing, but appropriately so for the history being told.  The beautiful pictures of trees throughout the story help to mark the passage of time.

Cons:  I was curious to learn more of Hédi Fried’s story, but I couldn’t find much biographical information about her.