Introduction

You are about to read about the story of a young girl named Hana who lived in Europe during the time of the Second World War. You will also read about a young woman from Tokyo, in the present time, who took it upon herself to teach children in Japan about an important and tragic event called the Holocaust and how it affected people.

Hana Brady and her brother George are the two main characters in the part of the book dealing with the Holocaust. They lived in a town called Nove Mesto, in Czechoslovakia. They lived happily with their mother and father until the events of the Holocaust changed their lives. As you will see, they attended school, played and did chores much like you do.

Fumiko Ishioka is the young woman from Tokyo. She is the curator of the Tokyo Holocaust Education Resource Center. There, children like you are learning about the Holocaust and know Hana and George's story.
You are about to become part of the growing number of people who know about Hana, George, Fumiko and what the Holocaust means for us all.
Let us begin. 

The importance of objects

When understanding past events, how important do you think objects from that time become for us, many years later?
Can you think of examples of objects or 'artefacts' that have been important when studying historical events like war? Think of your trip to Sydney and the Anzac Memorial or even the National Museum. 
How do objects help to tell stories?
How do personal objects impact on the history of events that happened a long time ago? How do they help us to better understand historical and cultural issues?
​How do they make us feel?

Read

Read the Introduction and up to page 12, discussing as the story unfolds. Use the map below to show the students where the story of Hana takes place. Zoom out to see where it fits into the world.