The Hidden Children

Greenfeld ( Marc Chagall ) has a rare ability to focus on a very emotional topic and to convey that emotion to readers. Here he presents the stories of Jews who, as children, survived the Holocaust in hiding. Some posed as children of non-Jewish families, others were sheltered in religious institutions or orphanages, still others spent years in airless bunkers or attics. Some lived in constant fear, moving from place to place; others did not realize they were in danger and spent the war in relative peace. A few were resented and even betrayed by those who hid them; luckier children were welcomed as part of the family. Incorporating his subjects' testimonies into succinct accounts of individual survival, Greenfeld produces a well-rounded and varied picture of their collective experiences, from the first stirrings of war through their liberation and beyond. The volume's design intensifies the impact of the stories: contemporaneous photos of the subjects, distributed throughout the text, put faces with the words. This moving, thoughtful approach to the study of the Holocaust will help young readers grasp the horrors endured in those years by people their own age. Ages 8-up. (Dec.)