Books for Young People - The Little Boy Star: An Allegory of the Holocaust

About the Book

The Little Boy Star is a picture book which relates the story of a little Jewish boy who lived in Nazi Germany. He is labelled with a star and marked out as different from other citizens. Soon nobody sees the little boy himself, they only notice the star. Then the star hunters come and the little boy has to hide away. This story can be read at a simple level, indeed the publishers suggest that it is suitable for the 4-8 age range, but we think it works best with older primary and lower secondary students (9-12) when all the details which contribute to the allegory can be discussed. The illustrations are simple but contain powerful messages about exclusion, fear, helplessness and inner strength.

The book could also be used with older secondary students who have previously studied the Holocaust and those who are studying the use of imagery created through the written word, whilst teachers of visual art may wish to explore the use of the star images and the concepts of light and darkness used throughout the book.

• YoungPeople_LittleBoyStar (PDF document)