Vander Zee narrates this true story in the voice of Erika, a woman she encountered in a German village, who, as a blanket-wrapped infant, was thrown from a cattle car bound for a concentration camp in 1944. ("On her way to death, my mother threw me to life.") A German woman risked her own life to raise Erika, who eventually married and had children of her own. ("Today my tree once again has roots.") The spare, eloquent text perfectly complements Innocenti's gray and beige photo-realistic illustrations that show haunting, finely detailed, sterile winter scenes of train cars, tracks, and cold brick-and-stone buildings surrounded by barbed wire. On other pages, a white baby carriage and the small pink bundle catch the eye. Only the contemporary opening scene and the final postwar spread are in full color. Compelling and powerful in its simplicity, Erika's story proves that determination, hope, and goodness can overcome evil. Stars are important to this story. Yellow Stars of David are visible on the people's clothing and the symbol appears on every page, separating Erika's thoughts. She mentions God's biblical promise to Abraham that his people "would be as many as the stars in the heavens," and that "six million of those stars fell between 1933 and 1945." The large die-cut yellow pentagram on the front cover is a jarring exception to the carefully crafted text and illustrations. This poignant story of survival deserves a wide audience.
如果一颗星星象征一个生命，从1933年到1945年间，犹太人有600万颗星星陨落了。犹太人被迫害的那段悲惨历史，显示了人性最黑暗、最丑陋的一面，但本书的重点不在于讲述纳粹的罪恶，而是要彰显正义的力量和人性的光辉。故事从一对犹太夫妇登上开往死亡集中营的列车开始，这对夫妇知道自己逃不过死亡的命运，只希望他们刚刚降生的小女儿艾瑞卡能够活下去，于是他们在奔赴死亡的途中将女儿抛出车外……艾瑞卡在一位好心人的照料下长大了，有了自己的家，有了自己的子孙，家族再次生根壮大。大卫之星依然闪亮。
By Roberto Innocenti, Hardcover, Simplified Chinese Characters, 20 Pages, 9.8'' x 10.25''
