Willy and Max: A Holocaust Story by Amy Littlesugar

Illustrated by William Low. 40 p., Philomel, 2006. Friendship can transcend war. Willy (who would grow up to become the narrator's Grandpa Will) lived in Belgium, where his parents owned an antique store. A shy little boy, Will wishes he had a friend. His wish comes true when Professor Solomon and his son, Max, visit the store. While Professor Solomon buys a special paining called The Lady, Willy and Max discover that they both like to play hide-and-seek. From then on, the two boys are inseparable. Willy understands that because Max is Jewish, he is in danger from the Nazis. But they don't talk about that. They play in the park, and one Friday, Willy has Shabbos dinner at Max's home. When Max and his father have to leave Antwerp because of Nazi persecution, Willy's father hides The Lady for them. However the Nazi soldiers steal it from them. More than sixty years later, when grandpa Will lives in the United States, a museum calls him, saying they've found something that belongs to him. They had recovered The Lady. With it was a photograph of Willy and Max as boys. The curator has been unable to find Max, and Will asks him to try harder. Eventually, she finds out that Max had died recently, but has a family. There is a moving reunion of the two families at Shabbos dinner. With its warmly-colored mixed-media illustrations that have the feel of oil paintings, this story celebrates the strength of friendship, in spite of war. Ages 7-10