I read this book in one sitting. What a beautiful book for children, and I know that Eva would have been very proud of the finished piece. What I like about this book is that it doesn't sugarcoat anything revolving around the Holocaust and yet is still written in a way that is easy for a younger audience to read and understand. When I was in school, we had to read Night by Elie Wiesel, which was too difficult for me and so I didn't appreciate it until I read it again as an adult. This book is a lot like Night, only in a format that I think young children can resonate more with.

Eva and Miriam's story of survival in Auschwitz is a unique one. They survived the first day because they were identical twins, and Mengele was obsessed with running experiments on twins. Eva and Miriam were used as test subjects for diseases which is horrible, but it gave them leverage in the camp to be kept alive. After the camp was liberated, they had almost no one left, and their parents and two other sisters probably didn't even survive the first day there. Since she was a child herself when she was taken to the camp, Eva became passionate about teaching children about the Holocaust, and this children's book was part of that educational dream. Even though she began to heal and forgive, she never completely healed from the trauma. I don't know how she could.

I have been to Dachau camp in Germany and reading survivor stories hurts me on such a new level now since I have such a vivid image of the camps. The voice in this book is very simple and matter-of-fact for children, and even though I am not a crier, this book made me cry by the end. Also, reading Survivor stories is important, but make sure your reading also includes Jewish joy and resilience because that is just as important.

Thank you to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.