No Pretty Pictures: A Child of War 
asked by spiderman on November 13, 2006 10:51 AM
Nominated for a 1998 National Book Award for Young People's Literature, No Pretty Pictures: A Child of War is Anita Lobel's gripping memoir of surviving the Holocaust. A Caldecott-winning illustrator of such delightful picture books as On Market Street, it is difficult to believe Lobel endured the horrific childhood she did. From age 5 to age 10, Lobel spent what are supposed to be carefree years hiding from the Nazis, protecting her younger brother, being captured and marched from camp to camp, and surviving completely dehumanizing conditions. A terrifying story by any measure, Lobel's memoir is all the more haunting as told from the first-person, child's-eye view. Her girlhood voice tells it like it is, without irony or even complete understanding, but with matter-of-fact honesty and astonishing attention to detail. She carves vivid, enduring images into readers' minds. On hiding in the attic of the ghetto: "We were always told to be very quiet. The whispers of the trapped grown-ups sounded like the noise of insects rubbing their legs together." On being discovered while hiding in a convent: "They lined us up facing the wall. I looked at the dark red bricks in front of me and waited for the shots. When the shouting continued and the shots didn't come, I noticed my breath hanging in thin puffs in the air." On trying not to draw the attention of the Nazis: "I wanted to shrink away. To fold into a small invisible thing that had no detectable smell. No breath. No flesh. No sound."
It is a miracle that Lobel and her brother survived on their own in this world that any adult would find unbearable. Indeed, and appropriately, there are no pretty pictures here, and adults choosing to share this story with younger readers should make themselves readily available for explanations and comforting words. (The camps are full of excrement and death, all faithfully recorded in direct, unsparing language.) But this is a story that must be told, from the shocking beginning when a young girl watches the Nazis march into Krakow, to the final words of Lobel's epilogue: "My life has been good. I want more." (Ages 10 to 16) --Brangien Davis
Reviews
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This book is a tragic adventure. Anita Lobel recalls the arrival of the Nazis and the end of her childhood as she knew it. I was thankful this book was a fast read, the suspense of what would happen to Lobel and her brother was too much at times. The writing is beautiful and appropriate for young readers as well as adults. Beautiful photos.
reviewed by john316 on November 15, 2006 8:59 PM
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Imagine playing hide-and seek, but you are hiding from the German Nazis because you are illegal. Every time they get close to you, a new hiding spot must be found, or your life will be put on the line. During the Holocaust, young Hanusiu played by these rules everyday. Told from a child's point of view, No Pretty Pictures is the memoir of Anita Lobel, earlier called Hanusiu, and her journey through the secrets, tears, and sacrifices of the Holocaust. Ms. Lobel did an amazing job describing everything that happened to her in those fatal years. One part that held excruciating description was when Hanusiu was forced into her first Concentration Camp. I felt as though I was walking into the camp alongside Hanusiu. The other prisoners, barracks, nervousness, and overall feeling of pain were expressed in a way that I cannot believe was seen through a child's eyes. Another major event that took place was when Hanusiu was diagnosed with tuberculosis after she had been rescued. She was forced to stay in a sanatorium for about a year and a half to cure the chronic disease. I could feel her hope and insecurities as each day passed, knowing that she might never get out. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a clear picture of what happened during the Holocaust, supported with lots of description, and seen through a true survivor's eyes.
reviewed by alexis on November 29, 2006 9:47 AM
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Imagine playing hide-and seek, but you are hiding from the German Nazis because you are illegal. Every time they get close to you, a new hiding spot must be found, or your life will be put on the line. During the Holocaust, young Hanusiu played by these rules everyday. Told from a child's point of view, No Pretty Pictures is the memoir of Anita Lobel, earlier called Hanusiu, and her journey through the secrets, tears, and sacrifices of the Holocaust. Ms. Lobel did an amazing job describing everything that happened to her in those fatal years. One part that held excruciating description was when Hanusiu was forced into her first Concentration Camp. I felt as though I was walking into the camp alongside Hanusiu. The other prisoners, barracks, nervousness, and overall feeling of pain were expressed in a way that I cannot believe was seen through a child's eyes. Another major event that took place was when Hanusiu was diagnosed with tuberculosis after she had been rescued. She was forced to stay in a sanatorium for about a year and a half to cure the chronic disease. I could feel her hope and insecurities as each day passed, knowing that she might never get out. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a clear picture of what happened during the Holocaust, supported with lots of description, and seen through a true survivor's eyes.
reviewed by daddyadd on November 29, 2006 10:09 AM
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Casey Anderson
Book Review
The sad and hard story of Anita, she lived in Poland. To start off the sadness in the beginning Anita her brother and the rest of the family were almost caught by the Nazi's buy they hid, they were sadly robbed of almost all there possessions. They had finally had to leave there house and go to the ghetto. They say, "The word ghetto was only a word to them", I think that means that they had never thought of leaving and going into the ghetto, it was like shock. They try to convert into Catholics by their first communion but it was said back then that a Jews sin is far worse than a Catholics. This was bad and times were getting tighter (the Germans were catching on to them).They were finally captured and taken to a camp where they had to work with low food and march a lot. They stayed there for many years and started to lose there hopes especially when there niania (there nanny) died after being
beaten. Luckily though out of all of the thousands of people were caught many Red Cross busses had come to take them away from the Nazi's and into Sweden. But now she has moved to America and when somebody asked where she's from she will always say, "I am an American and proud of it". This book was very well written but didn't have to much detail on the backgrounds of there lives.
Book Review
The sad and hard story of Anita, she lived in Poland. To start off the sadness in the beginning Anita her brother and the rest of the family were almost caught by the Nazi's buy they hid, they were sadly robbed of almost all there possessions. They had finally had to leave there house and go to the ghetto. They say, "The word ghetto was only a word to them", I think that means that they had never thought of leaving and going into the ghetto, it was like shock. They try to convert into Catholics by their first communion but it was said back then that a Jews sin is far worse than a Catholics. This was bad and times were getting tighter (the Germans were catching on to them).They were finally captured and taken to a camp where they had to work with low food and march a lot. They stayed there for many years and started to lose there hopes especially when there niania (there nanny) died after being
beaten. Luckily though out of all of the thousands of people were caught many Red Cross busses had come to take them away from the Nazi's and into Sweden. But now she has moved to America and when somebody asked where she's from she will always say, "I am an American and proud of it". This book was very well written but didn't have to much detail on the backgrounds of there lives.
reviewed by reader99 on November 29, 2006 6:18 PM