(3) K-3 Illustrated by Marie Lafrance. Life in Munich is difficult for Anneliese's family in the months after World War II. Food shortages, streets strewn with rubble, and no library access compound grief over Papa's death for refusing to "follow orders." But when Anneliese and her little brother happen upon a "great hall" filled with children's books and a lady who reads them aloud, both children find happiness in the midst of trauma. Five pages at the end introduce Jella Lepman and her international children's book exhibit that traveled Germany after the war. The digitally colored graphite illustrations are equally adept at conveying the deprivation of post-war Germany and the power of stories to unlock hope.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn