| The Cat Who Lived with Anne Frank | |
| Author: | David Lee Miller, Steven Jay Rubin |
| Illustrator: | Elizabeth Baddeley |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Genre: | Children's picture book |
| Published: | 2019 (Penguin Random House) |
| Media Type: | Print (hardback) |
| Pages: | 40 [1] |
| Isbn: | 978-1-5247-4150-1 |
The Cat Who Lived with Anne Frank is a 2019 children's book by David Lee Miller and Steven Jay Rubin, illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley. It details the events leading up to the Holocaust, through the eyes of Mouschi, a cat who lived with Anne Frank.
Mentioned in her diary, The Diary of a Young Girl, Mouschi was a real cat who belonged to Peter, the teenage boy also in hiding with Anne.[2] Anne Frank was forced to leave her own cat, Moortje, behind after the Nazi invasion.[3]
When Mouschi the cat goes with his boy, Peter, to a secret annex, he meets a girl named Anne. Bright, kind and loving, Anne dreams of freedom and of becoming a writer whose words change the world. But Mouschi, along with Anne and her family and friends, must stay hidden, hoping for the war to end and for a better future.
Told from the perspective of the cat who actually lived with Anne Frank in the famous Amsterdam annex, this poignant book paints a picture of a young girl who wistfully dreams of a better life for herself and her friends, tentatively wonders what mark she might leave on the world, and, above all, adamantly believes in the goodness of people. Accompanied by beautiful, vivid art, this book is a perfect introduction to a serious topic for younger readers, especially at a time when respect and inclusion are so important.
School Library Journal, in a review of The Cat Who Lived with Anne Frank, wrote "This gentle introduction to one of the darkest times in modern history ... can also provide a starting point for more in-depth study, reading, and discussion."[4] The Jewish Book Council wrote "A gentle but effective introduction to one aspect of the Holocaust, and to this well-known family. ... an independent read for those at the upper end of the age range. It is an excellent resource for introducing the Holocaust in classrooms."[5]