The haunting cover of Run and Hide: How Jewish Youth Escaped the Holocaust by Don Brown does not really give you the whole picture of what is going to happen inside this book, but it is a great start. There are layers that will overlap, some things are familiar, others will give you more insight and others might be new stories or concepts. It does not feel like a subject for a graphic novel, but the subject translates well into this format, but it works maybe a bit too well. The combination of text and illustrations really brings out the emotional elements. I would not say they are manipulating you, but they are created to evoke a particular emotional response in you.
This is a 4.5 and not a “pure 5” as some of the illustrations, while getting the job done, were a smidgen abstract and took away from things for me. Otherwise, seeing World War II and this chapter of it (children escaping, being taken from their families) done in this manner is an interesting way to show you what we know but in an accessible and unique manner. The variety of stories and people is a good touch as it is presented in a way as it gives you the darkness and situation without (for the most part) being gratuitous. However, some images and the subjects are mature and could be a bit much for a more sensitive reader (despite age).
And speaking of ages, it would be best for at least 13 and up. The format and concepts can be a bit heavily weighted and not for everyone. The use of color is used to create emotions. Red and black are used for “bad” and more browns and “organic” are used for “medium.” The images of the Nazi regime are displayed, giving the look of “hanging overhead” and “loom” at those below. There are not a lot of light colors, but there is a bit of white space that allows focus on a particular detail, which can be important but minimalistic. However, the point is made (such as there is a woman being led to a gallows hangman noose or bodies of concentration camp inmates skeletonesque).
There are several afterwards that continue the story in a roundup fashion, tie it into relatability with today’s stories (Iran, Iraq, Cambodia, Ukraine, Syria and more), plus references of quotations and further reading. The facts given here are mind blowing. Knowing over 60,000 people were directly killed during this war is bad enough, but to see how disproportionate the Jewish population was is very eye opening (and on a sidenote, I would love to see Brown do a story about other victims of the Holocaust as well. Sadly, this era is ripe with material). Brown also has written books on other subjects: 83 Days in Mariupol: A War Diary (Ukraine); Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans; The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees; In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers: The Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Months, and Years After the 9/11 Attacks; The Great American Dust Bowl and Fever Year: The Killer Flu of 1918. Plus books for younger readers based in history.