When talking about children’s accounts of Nazi Germany, Anne Frank’s story is the one that’s most familiar to me. I have, however, belatedly found another story: When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit. The author, Judith Kerr, based this on her own childhood: her famous anti-Nazi father, their sudden flight from Germany, and their life moving from country to country.

When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit takes its title from the Nazi’s repossession of their house. The sudden flight (and Anna’s belief that they will return home in half a year) means that Anna couldn’t bring all her toys. Among those left behind is her old Pink Bunny, and when Anna thinks of the Nazi’s taking over their home, she imagines Hitler with her pink bunny, hence the title of the book.

After their flight out from Germany, the family settles in Austria, then France, and as the book ends, they make their way to England. As a result, Anna and her family are constantly moving and encountering culture shock.

Compared to the Diary of Anne Frank, there is comparatively little talk about Nazi Germany. Anna’s father had the foresight to leave and call his family to him before the Nazis gained power and took away their passports, so they did not have to live under the Nazi regime. Additionally, Anna’s parents do their best to maintain a stable, loving environment wherever they go, which somewhat insulates Anna from the uglier realities of the world. However, a reader familiar with the war will notice the dark undertones – the price on Anna’s father’s head, her Onkel Julius and his eventual death, and even what happens when Nazis holiday in Switzerland (Anna’s father rightly says that the Swiss cannot be neutral all the time). Although this book is written for children, I think it will be the more mature readers who understand just how grim things actually are for Anna and her family.

Overall, this is a well-written story that documents another aspect of Jews in Nazi Germany: that of the Jewish refugee. Anna’s multiple cultural shocks will resonate with anyone who has lived overseas, while older readers will recognise the dark undertones that drive her family from Germany to Switzerland and from there, to France. This is a timeless book that I’d recommend to readers of all ages.