Benno and the Night of the Broken Glass

Benno and the Night of the Broken Glass

by Meg Wiviott, illustrated by Josee Bisaillon, 2010. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Kar-Ben Publishing. (978082259929).

Media: collage, drawings and digital editing

Author Website: http://megwiviott.com/

Illustrator Website: joseebisaillon.com

Awards and Honors: Selected as one of School Library Journal's Best Books 2010: Picture Books; Winner of Moonbeam Children's Book Awards' Gold Medal for Multi-cultural Picture Book; CCBC's 2011 Best Choice List

Annotation: 
A picture book portrayal of Kristallnacht (The Night of Broken Glass) in Nazi Germany as seen through the eyes of Benno, the neighborhood cat.

Personal Reaction: 
     The human atrocities committed by Nazi Germany are a troubling and complex subject to teach to young children, but Benno and the Night of the Broken Glass is a sensitive and thoughtful introduction to the Holocaust. The violence is largely implied, and while it is jarring, it is not explicit or disturbing. By telling the story through the eyes of Benno, the neighborhood cat, readers are given a first-hand look at the destruction and persecution by an objective narrator. Because Benno is a neutral participant he describes the outward appearance of the events and doesn't delve into significance. However, by relating the devastion of Kristallnacht to one street in Berlin, Wiviott is able to personalize a disturbing historical event. An afterword gives the reader more details about Kristallnacht and a bibliography suggests sources for additional reading. This story lends itself to opening discussion about the persecution and murder of Jews during the Holocaust between parents or teachers and young children. 

Curriculum Connection: Elementary school history- Holocaust