Annotation:When a random suitcase appears at the Holocaust Education Center in Tokyo, Japan to say that questions were raised would be an understatement. This was no ordinary suitcase though, this suitcase belong to a Holocaust victim by the name of Hana Brady. The outside of the suitcase had “Hana Brady” and “Waisenkind” which means orphan in German painted on it. The children at the center had hundreds of questions, who is Hana? Where did she live? So on and so forth. So the curator of the center searched far and wide for answers. While looking for answers he recreates Hana’s story and finds out what truly happened to this little girl. Throughout his journey he finds that Hana’s older brother George is still alive and then at the old age of 75 lived in Canada. This book jumps back and forth between Hana’s story and the curator’s quest to connect the dots of what happened before the suitcase arrived in Japan.Response:I am oddly infatuated with the Holocaust and find those events horrifying yet interesting at the same time. This book was very well written and although it is considered an informational book it is neither dry nor boring. I gave this book a five star rating for the way the author kept things interesting and informative without taking away from the historical aspect of such a terrible past.Classroom Connections:This book is a great gateway to use while addressing the holocaust and would work great as an in class read by doing a few chapters a day. I would have my kids do projects and research different children of the holocaust and see what they could find out about them and write their own mini story of what would be in that child’s suitcase. Students would work in small groups and have plenty of opportunities to work in class. This will help kids get used to researching and being creative at the same time. Another idea would be having the kids create their own suitcase and present to the class what would be in their suitcase and why. Reading Complexity:The topic of the Holocaust is for older children lexile.com gave this book a 730 which places it from 4th to 6th grade. This would be a great read aloud in class to ensure all topics are understood and all students understand what is happening.
While reading this true story about an 13 year old holocaust victim ,written for children , I couldn't help but be reminded of The Diary of a Young Girl and how in spite of the horrendous circumstances of both Anne and Hana our spirits can be uplifted. Fumiko Ishioka , Director of the Tokyo Holocaust Museum lovingly devoted herself to insuring that Japanese children would learn what happened to six million Jews , of which one and a half million were children. Through her persistence and the telling of Hana's story by Levine in this book, children world over can learn about what happened.It was especially moving that the group of children called "Small Wings " were so captivated by Hana and that by discovering what Hana’s life was like before the Nazis, they could relate to this young girl and thus begin to understand how great the loss. What better way could you teach children about the Holocaust than through another child? The beautiful drawings and pictures made Hana come to life again. The touching scene when Hana’s brother, George meets the children is really beyond any words other than what Levine has written.I was also reminded of a novel I read recently, The Street Sweeper, in which the heart of the novel is the profound message of “tell then what happened here.” From a poem read at the end of the book:“We Small Wings, will tell every child in Japan what happened to Hana. We Small Wings, will never forget what happened to one-and-a-half-million Jewish children.We children can make a difference in building peace in the world – so that the Holocaust will never happen again.”
This book will break your heart. You know that Hana's story will not have a happy ending, but that is only part of the story. The uplifting part is how a teacher and her students didn't let go of the idea of Hana after getting her suitcase. That they wanted to know more about her, if she was like them. I loved that tracking Hana down lead to her brother. While the initial contact had to open a long bury wound, I loved how George was able to share his sister with people that cared about her and how in her death Hana has reached so many people.
—Darcy
Wow! What an amazing story. I read this in about one hour. I loved the juxtaposition of the two stories told together. Hana was a young Jewish girl who did not survive the Holocaust. The book is a tale of Hana, her family and their many obstacles during a very difficult time in history. This book is also the tale of a Japanese woman named, Fumiko Ishioka, who is a museum director in Japan. Fumiko started teaching her students (who named themselves "Little Wings") about the Holocaust and by the end her simple social studies unit grew into something much bigger. She hunted down information and artifacts that would help her better teach her students about the Holocaust and, more importantly, about the trials and tribulations of the young Jewish children during that time. Finally, Fumiko learned that Hana's brother, George, was still alive. They got in contact and eventually met. This book is truly an inspiration for me because it reminded me how important history is and that we, as teachers, might need to rethink how we instruct young children about various historic events. This book could be read by students ranging from grade 5 to grade 12. I found it to be full of information and heart yet so easy to read and understand. I think many students would be forever changed by this book. I also found the Brady family website which was so much fun to look at. Check it out if you are interested! http://www.hanassuitcase.ca/
—NS- Sarah
Levine's book introduces use to Hana and Fumiko. We learn about Hana's childhood and journey to Auschwitz, where she is only survived by her brother. Fumiko is a Japanese teacher that is focused on educating her students on the holocaust. She has a suitcase and name, which leads her to learn more about Hana. She contacts Hana's brother hoping for more information without upsetting him. George is overwhelmed but happy to know his sister's memory is alive and honored. The book ends with George traveling to Japan to meet Fumiko and the Japanese school children. I really liked this story even though it did lacked some of the official feel the other books had. It did not feel like an informational book, but more of a story. The images were the artifacts and citations to me. It was still a very powerful story. I appreciated how it shows the importance of people caring about the Holocaust. If this teacher had not valued Hana's life and her experience – Hana's brother and the kids would not have had this powerful experience. We would not have this book and information to add to our resources. I would use this book with a more factual one for a Holocaust unit in 4-8th grade. I think a story like this makes the personal connection needed to care about all the facts.
—Samantha
