Brave journeys and heroic rescues, on two legs or four
AWHITE-MICE VIEW of wartime Berlin gives a quirky, child-friendly perspective to Monica Porter’s Benny and Bobby Versus Adolf, How Two Lab Mice Took on an Evil Empire (CAAB Publishing, £7.99). Former lab mice Benny and Bobby become the pets of ten-yearold David Baum — and we learn a great deal about mus musculus (highly intelligent but sadly incontinent) — and also, subtly, about the Nazi regime — the Baums are Jewish and their punitive food rations offer poor pickings for rodents. But when the family flees for their lives, they can’t take Benny and Bobby. A Nazi family moves in — and a cat (spoilt Schatzi, a terrific character, overfond of her Nazi Women’s League cushion and gourmet snacks). Well, what’s a mouse under occupation to do but join the resistance? The mice’s thrilling adventures are dedicated to “those who feel small and insignificant and have yet to discover their hidden powers”. Age nine to 13.
A pet offers a “gentle introduction to the Holocaust” for age seven to 11 in Miriam Halahmy’s Saving Hanno (Otterbarry books, £7.99, illustrated by Karin Littlewood, see above centre). Nine-year-old Rudi arrives in London on the Kindertransport. But what about his little dog Hanno? Rudi will have to save his dog’s life more than once. Halahmy, who was nominated for the 2021 Carnegie Medal for her YA novel Always Here For You (ZunTold, £8.99), has visited
Yavneh College to talk about Saving Hanno and is ready to visit more schools now Covid is receding.
Penny Joelson’s Things the Eye Can’t See (Electric Monkey, £7.99) has won the North East Book Award. It’s Joelson’s 13th award but the first for this twisty thriller for age 12 plus. When Libby, who has a severe sight impairment, agrees to pass a note to Kyle, a boy at school she barely knows, her life takes a scary turn. One minute, she is photographing wildflowers; the next, she is searching for a boy whose life is in danger – and risking her own in the process.
With Purim coming up, check out some Kar Ben classics distributed by Kuperard, for age three to seven. The Queen who Saved her People by Tilda Balsley (£7.95) is a jolly, rhyming version of the Purim story, exuberantly illustrated by Ilene Richard, with a Falstaff-like king and a crowd of wannabe wives thrilled by gifts of oversized underpants. The text cleverly doubles as a Purimspiel script.
A Queen in Jerusalem by Tami Shem-Tov and Rachella Sandbank (£7.99), translated from Hebrew by Tirza Sandbank, is a gentle, atmospheric picture book about Malka, who longs for a regal Esther costume and finds her way to the Bezalel school of art. Avi Ofer’s delicate illustrations beautifully reflect Malka’s mood, at first gloomy but later glowing with a golden happiness.
Spring releases to look forward to include Michael Rosen’s Please Write Soon (Scholastic), in partnership with the Royal British Legion. The story of a family sending letters across Europe during the Second World War is illustrated by Michael Foreman. Out in June is Emma Carroll’s Escape to the River Sea (Macmillan), inspired by Eva Ibbotson’s Journey to the River Sea. Carroll’s book sees Kindertransport refugee Rosa encounter some unpredictable animals, at the opposite end of the peril scale from good-hearted mice.