Grandpa's Third Drawer: Unlocking Holocaust Memories

First published in Israel, this poignant book introduces the Holocaust with candor and discretion. Uri's visits to the home of his grandparents (who are originally from Germany) are idyllic: breakfast "lasts for as long as you like," and Grandpa Yuda plays Mozart on the piano. In their home, the boy senses a "kind of quiet... the silence of people who come from a faraway world%E2%80%94a vanished world that still lives in memories." That (rather adult) observation acquires even deeper resonance when Uri unlocks Grandpa's off-limits drawer filled with Holocaust artifacts: the Star of David pin that once identified Grandpa as a Jew, handmade dominoes that he and his sister played in the ghetto to keep "a seed of happiness in our hearts," and a concentration camp uniform. Prompted by Uri and the relics, Grandpa recalls the Nazis forcing his family from their home and sending him to a different camp than his parents and sister, whom he never saw again. Kopelman's collages incorporate photos of archival Holocaust objects and documents, bringing the tragedy into even sharper focus. Ages 5%E2%80%938. (May)