I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

The Tree in the Courtyard by Jeff Gottesfeld is a unique way to teach children about the Holocaust. Told from the perspective of the tree that sat outside Anne Frank’s window, the tree recounts its life and the smiling girl who lived in the attic with her family, the scary bombs, and how the little girl never came back. Beautifully illustrated this book kept my five year old’s attention (not an easy feat) and he even remembered the story the next day asking questions about the girl and the tree.

Personally, Anne Frank’s diary was one of my first nonfiction books and will always be a favorite. I read it as a part of history/literature class in the 8th grade. And yes I cried my eyes out thinking of a girl my own age facing the fate she did. This recreation focuses on the tree just outside her window, which she mentions a few times in her book. The most notable quote Jeff Gottesfeld includes as the opening:

“The two of us looked out at the blue sky, the bare chestnut tree glistening in the dew, the seagulls and other birds glinting with silver as they swooped through the air, and we were so move and entranced that we couldn’t speak.” ~Anne Frank

The voice of the story is kind, innocent and easily relatable for children. It tells the chestnut tree’s life a little at a time and reveals the horrors of World War II through the eyes of the tree. I thought it was a good way of describing such horrors to children as the tree didn’t understand and “was never the same” after the war. The ending itself was bittersweet because the tree lives on in the many saplings that have been planted around the world (true story!) and my son asked when we would go see the tree’s children. So of course I’m now looking up where they are so we can make a trip some day.