(#40) / Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography / (authored) by Sid Jacobson & (art design) by Ernie Colon / (Book)

Opening

Bibliographic Information:

Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography /

(authored) by Sid Jacobson & (art design) by Ernie Colon

ISBN-13:9780809026852 / Hill and Wang /

p. 152/ $16.95 (Retail)

2010

Body of Content

Summary: This graphic novel recounts the story of Anne Frank – a Jewish girl who hid with her family in an attic – attempting to hide in the Netherlands from the Nazi regime.  This adaption of her diary goes a bit beyond the confines of the original journal.  The graphic novel breaks into ten chapters – with the early sections detailing her family history.  Before entering the world depicted in the diary itself, the authors detail the events that led up to the Second World War – basically providing a history lesson.  After the conclusion of Anne’s story, the novel finishes with some historical follow-up – on the legacy of her story to wider audiences.  A helpful chronology also accompanies the work as a reference. 

Critique: In much the same way that Katniss stands as a symbol for resistance in The Hunger Games against a totalitarian government, the figure of Anne Frank stands as a symbol for the war atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis.

[Spoiler Alert] The story is a thoroughly tragic one.  The end result of the story finds Anne Frank – with her family – dying in a German concentration camp.  Only her father escapes with his life. Their only fault – so perceived by the Nazi regime – was their Jewish faith and heritage.  Anne Frank – just a girl – never grew up – never received the opportunity to live an adult life – never married – never had a family.  She stands as a symbol – that the Germany war machine would consider her the enemy – only furthers the horribleness of the Nazi’s actions.  In the graphic novel, readers see the first-hand account of an intelligent, innocent, brave girl – and cannot help but wonder how humans can treat fellow humans so badly.  The book frames Anne as this symbol – even devoting the last chapter to the events after the war – and her legacy in the West.                                                                                                                

Teaser: The story of a brave Jewish girl set against some of the most cowardly acts in history.   

Information about the Author: Sid Jacobson is a well-known writer – mostly in the field of comic books and children’s literature.  Earlier in his life – for he is now 82 – Jacobson was the chief editor at Harvey Comics – where he created and wrote popular comics – like Richie Rich, Hot Stuff, and Casper the Friendly Ghost.  More recently, Jacobson teamed with Ernie Colon – the two serving as writer and artist (respectively) on a few graphic novels dealing with historical issues – such as the aforementioned Anne Frank – but also a book titled The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaption.  Jacobson resides in Los Angeles – he is married – and he has two adult children (Wikipedia, 2011).

Supplemental Material

Genre: Biography / Historical Nonfiction / Graphic Novel

Curriculum Ties: History – Nazism, WWII, Holocaust, Judaism 

Booktalking Ideas: 1) The rise of Nazism affected many German families – perhaps none more than those from Jewish backgrounds. 2) Why does Anne’s story still have universal elements to it – when people read it today?

Reading Level: Interest more from females – given the female, first-hand account of the book.  Overall, interest level is pretty broad – from teens (14-19).

Challenge Issues and Defense: The story is such an emotional one – that pretexted tension and stress might lead some parents – not so much to a challenge – as much as a “wait” until their child is ready to read the story.  This is a true circumstance for younger ages – but I feel teenagers (14-19) can handle the premise.  Events during the WWII are hard to sugar-coat – but this graphic novel treats the events respectfully – and the story’s conclusion is not graphically displayed.  The historical and biographical nature of the book help any challenges made on the title – as it shows the educational value of the book.    

Personal Reasons for Inclusion: The story of Anne Frank is a meaningful one – regardless of the format of the title.

Last Thoughts

References:

Wikipedia. (2011). Sid Jacobson [Webpage]. Retrieved from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sid_Jacobson

Listening to (Music):

Artist – Michelle Branch / Album – “Paper Hotel”