Review: Hidden by Loic Dauvillier, Marc Lizano, and Greg Salsedo

Although the official Holocaust Remembrance Day was April 27, we shouldn't need to mark our calendars to remember the millions of people killed in war, in concentration camps, and on the streets of Europe in 1930s and 1940s.

Last month, First Second published Hidden, the English-language version of Loic Dauvillier, Mare Lizano, and Greg Salsedo's moving story (originally written in French) about a young Jewish girl's experiences during the French Occupation.

Presented in the guise of a graphic novel and geared to early or middle grade readers, Hidden tells a personal story of confusion, fear, and loss but also of hope, kindness, and happy days, even in the midst of war.

Dounia Cohen, was in primary school when she was forced to wear the yellow star that her father told her would make her a sheriff. Although she is too young to understand everything, Dounia is quick to realize that her father didn't tell her the truth. She also soon learns how lucky she is to have adults around who are willing to help and protect her.

She tries not to cry when her parents are taken away in the night and knows not to argue when her name is changed to Simone and she is told to call a neighbor lady "mama." Secreted off to the countryside, where she learns to milk cows, go to mass, and play in the sunshine, "Simone"--and her new mother--survive the war in good shape.

After France is liberated and the war ends, the two return to Paris and begin the heartbreaking search for Dounia's parents.

Dauvillier, Lizano, and Salsedo do not lose track of their intended audience. The horrors of the war are seen through the eyes of the child, so, for example, the particulars of the concentration camps are not discussed. At the same time, the story is not sugar-coated or dumbed down for young readers. The authors clearly depict Dounia's humiliation and fear after the occupation and how much she misses her parents after she's been separated from them. She is also aware of the city around her and sees ugly graffiti on the street and witnesses some of the violence.

Hidden also delivers on the message that we can all make a difference in other people's lives. We can open our hearts and homes to those in need, we can resist prejudices and corrupt governments, and we can find love and hope even in the darkest of times.

Beautifully illustrated with appropriately muted colors, Hidden is a wonderful place to start having discussions with your kids about important issues. If children are not too young to experience war and hate firsthand, they are also not too young to learn about it and to understand that they don't have to accept it.

Note: The scan is from page 42 (click to enlarge) and shows one of the more violent scenes, so you can have an idea of what to expect. Note too that Dounia is telling her story many years later to her little granddaughter, so young readers already know that she survived the war. All rights remain with the copyright holders.

Published by Roaring Brook Press / First Second, 2014
ISBN-13: 9781596438736
Source: Review (see review policy)
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)

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Review: Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff

In 1807 a young woman sails into the harbor at Constantinople with the intention of stealing valuable scrolls from the sultan's library. Imprisoned before she can complete the deed, Delilah Dirk is interviewed by Erdemoglu Selim, a low-level lieutenant in the sultan's army, who happens to speak English. When Delilah escapes her bonds and robs the sultan, Selim is blamed and faces the executioner's hatchet. Delilah, however, loves Selim's skill at blending tea and whisks him away with her, sailing off on her flying ship.

For the swashbuckling Delilah, it's a just another adventure, but for poor Selim, life will never be the same again.

Tony Cliff's Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant is the first installment in a new graphic novel series based on his award-winning webcomic starring the delightful Delilah Dirk. From childhood, Delilah traveled the world with her lenient parents (he was an English diplomat; she was a Greek artisan), learning a variety of fighting techniques and methods of survival. She is brave, a little reckless, and full of self-confidence.

Selim, however, is used to the city and the court and all the pleasures they have to offer. He doesn't take quickly to the hardships of life on the sea and in the woods. Yet, he is obligated to Delilah for saving his skin, and so he endures, offering her a stabilizing influence. When he's given a chance to start over and become a farmer, will he give up his pirate ways and say good-bye to Delilah?

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant is a fun romp through early-nineteenth-century Turkey and Europe and introduces two likable characters whose partnership is never dull. Readers from early teens to adults will fall for Delilah and hope that Selim soon toughens up for his new adventurous life.

Tony Cliff's artwork is gorgeous, with a beautiful earthy color palette. He allows us to see his characters' emotions and feel the action through his expressive drawings (see the scan from Chapter One; click to enlarge). I can't wait to see what scrapes Delilah gets into next.

Roaring Brook Press / First Second, 2013
ISBN-13: 9781596438132
Source: Review (see review policy)
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy).

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Review: The Professor's Daughter by Joann Sfar and Emmanuel Guibert

Professor Bowell, world-renown Egyptologist, is very protective of his daughter, Lillian. Left on her own one day, Lillian dresses her father's mummy in proper Victorian tailcoat and top hat and asks him to escort her for the day. Imhotep IV is hesitant but agrees, and the two explore London.

Little did they know that the day would end in murder, kidnapping, family reunions, and even love. Will the three-thousand-year age difference, jail, and disgruntled fathers get in the way of the couple's happiness?

Joann Sfar's The Professor's Daughter is a delightful romp through Victorian London that is beautifully brought to life through Emmanuel Guibert's drawings. Sfar's sense of humor is evident throughout, from Imhotep III's ploy to talk to Queen Victoria about the fate of his son to the judge's preferred verdict ("The noose for Miss Bowell and the museum display case for her associate.")

Here are two pages to give you a sense of the fun and the artwork (click to enlarge).

This is the third Sfar graphic novel I've read, and I will be on the look-out for more.

The Professor's Daughter at an Indie

The Professor's Daughter at Powell's

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Published by Roaring Brook Press / First Second, 1997
ISBN-13: 9780156031080
YTD: 33
Source: Bought (see review policy)
Rating: B+
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)

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