SuitabookSecret of the Village Fool
Rebecca Upjohn, Renne Benoit
- Reading
- Read together if possible, pausing to name feelings without demanding a response. Before the photographs and post-war account, explain that the ending moves from the narrated events into further historical information.
- Themes
- Prejudice and social judgement: Anton is mocked and labelled the village fool because he talks to animals and eats only vegetables. The ridicule is set against Anton’s kindness and later courage, inviting readers to question quick judgements about difference.
- Holocaust persecution: Nazi soldiers round up Jewish boys, while Jewish people are forced from their homes and may be separated from family members. The book treats this strongly critically.
- Protective courage: Anton hides the whole family in his home and risks his life to protect them. His decision is framed as selfless protection and later remembrance honours him for saving people during the Holocaust.
- Worth knowing
- The wartime setting includes Nazi round-ups of Jewish boys, hiding, fear, deprivation, terror and loss. Illustrations are described as shadowed and ominous, so the emotional weight may extend beyond the straightforward wording.