LitPick Review
In the Terezin ghetto during WWII, surrounded by sadness and suffering, a small sapling grows to a large tree, nourished by the hopes, dreams, and sacrifices of a group of Jewish children and their teacher. Slowly, groups of children leave the ghetto, heading to other worse places, but their hope lives on with the tree. After the war, the tree has grown beyond what any of the children or their teacher could have dreamed. Although the tree cannot last forever, its seeds of life spread around the world.
Opinion:
Tree of Life is a beautiful story of hope. I was surprised upon reading it that I had never heard of the children and the tree that grew despite the odds. This means that there is a large group of people out there who need to hear this story. My one caution is to parents. This is not a bedtime story or a story for young children. I would recommend it to everyone ages 10 and up, simply because of the heaviness surrounding the Holocaust. Most kids aren’t going to know what a ghetto is, so parents or educators should read with children, allowing this book to open the doors for discussion about the horrors of the Holocaust in an age appropriate manner. The illustrations in the book are so detailed, which impressed me. The illustrator even took the time to draw the star of David that the Jews had to wear on each person. Overall, this book is incredible, and I highly recommend it.
