Adapting with a dog
NINE-YEAR-OLD RUDI AND his sister are to join the Kindertransport — but Hanno, Rudi’s dachshund— needs saving, too (even in England he is not safe, as people are destroying their pets, rather than feed them during rationing). Saving Hanno by Miriam
Halahmy and illustrated by Karin Littlewood (Otter-Barry Books, £7.99) sketches the Nazi discrimination endured by Rudi and then focuses, with gentle humour and an unerring child’s-eye view, on Rudi’s first experiences of British life — the disgusting idea of tea with milk, his initial fear of Scouts until he finds they are nothing like the Hitler Youth. Hanno’s plight provides an engaging perspective on being a refugee (ages 7-11).
Few people have heard of astronomer Caroline Herschel, who was eclipsed by the discoveries of her brother, William. She is among lesser-known achievers featured in the inspiring Fantastically Great Women Scientists and their
Stories by Kate Pankhurst (Bloomsbury, £6.99). Another is Rosalind Franklin — an endearing revelation is that Franklin missed out on a first in Finals, as she spent too long perfecting some of her answers and ran out of time. Every chapter is crammed with such gems, bringing the subjects to life — such as the Franklin family’s support of Jewish wartime refugees and Rosalind’s war work on the properties of coal. Pankhurst illustrates the scientists’ lives with magical quirkiness. Age seven up.
Although he is a talented violinist, taking after his great-great grandfather Moshe, klutzy Benny Feldman keeps under the radar at school – until the day he accidentally launches
a klezmer group. Benny Feldman’s All-Star Klezmer Band by Allison and Wayne Marks (Green Bean Books, £12.99) is intelligent, heartwarming and funny; it subtly introduces the reader not only to klezmer but also to the Jewish contribution to music, from Yip Harburg to Pink. Age eight to 14.
The Way Back by Gavriel Savit (Penguin, £12.99) is a surreal blend of Jewish folklore and Gothic horror. Young Yehuda Leib and Bluma find themselves up against the Angel of Death, in a nightmarish landscape, in which they are beset by demons including Lilith and Mammon. A dangerous spoon, a bottled spirit and a red scarf imbued with protective powers play key roles in their bizarre, compelling journey. For Neil Gaiman fans age 12 onwards.