Children's Books About World War 2
Fiction and Non-Fiction Resources for Kids Aged 8-12 On WWII
These quality works of literature are an excellent starting point for a homeschool or history fair project, or simply to be read aloud to your children.
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Lowry's Newberry-medal winner chronicles the activities of a non-Jewish Danish family under Nazi occupation, helping their Jewish friends to escape. The story is written from a child's perspective and, without being trite, is less bleak than many novels of similar subject matter.
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr
This semi-autobiographical classic follows Anna, a Jewish German girl, as her family flees the country and travels from Switzerland to Paris and finally England. The focus is not specifically on Nazi Germany or even the war, but quaintly documents Anna's day-to-day experiences.
The Great Escape by Paul Brickhill
This book does contain some coarse language and innuendo. However, it is a refreshingly masculine look at WWII, describing in fascinatingly factual detail one of the most famous escapes in POW history. Captured officers, mostly British, are held in a German POW camp and set up many ingenious and elaborate systems of deception in order to eventually achieve a mass breakout through a tunnel constructed under the camp.
The Great Escape may well spawn a number of hands-on projects—the author, who participated in the Great Escape, describes how to manufacture air pumps, remake RAF uniforms into civilian clothing, forge passport books and make concentrated food rations, among other things!
The Wooden Horse by Eric Williams
The obvious companion volume to The Great Escape, The Wooden Horse describes a less well-known but even more ingenious escape from the same prison camp. Two officers use a vaulting horse to conceal the entrance to their tunnel under the wire. The novel follows the escapees all the way home to England, as they attempt to blend in with German civilians while making contact with anyone willing to transport them out of Germany. Like The Great Escape, The Wooden Horse requires some discretion, as it contains some coarse language and innuendo.
When the Siren Wailed by Noel Streatfield
Although many of Streatfield's novels are set against the backdrop of war—Party Shoes, for example—When the Siren Wailed is her most overtly topical novel, as well as one of her best. Laura, Andy and Tim are three London evacuees, who discover that life in the country is not the disaster they expected. A light but informative read.
Shin's Tricycle by Tatsuharu Kodama
Translated from the Japanese, this autobiographical account of a young boy dying at Hiroshima is a gripping but disturbing read, which should be vetted for sensitive children. Shin is a three-year-old boy who loves his tricycle, and when he is killed in the explosion his parents decide to bury him with his tricycle. The book's famous illustrations are moody and evocative, and the text gives humanity to an often underrepresented aspect of WWII.
