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One Day: A True Story of Survival in the Holocaust
From an eminent storyteller, this powerful, simply told, beautifully illustrated picture book recounts a rare story of survival during the Holocaust.
One day, a Hungarian-French Jew and his father were rounded up by Nazis and brought to a prison camp. One day, they tried to escape, and failed. One day, they tried to escape, and succeeded. In a true story that resonates with his own family legacy, Michael Rosen, one of today’s most esteemed poets and authors of books for children, draws on the real-life account of Eugène Handschuh, who escaped with his father from a convoy headed from Nazi-occupied Paris to Auschwitz. At once honest, approachable, and speaking to the resilience of hope, One Day features sensitive illustrations by award-winning artist Benjamin Phillips, as well as a note from the author providing historical context.
One day, a Hungarian-French Jew and his father were rounded up by Nazis and brought to a prison camp. One day, they tried to escape, and failed. One day, they tried to escape, and succeeded. In a true story that resonates with his own family legacy, Michael Rosen, one of today’s most esteemed poets and authors of books for children, draws on the real-life account of Eugène Handschuh, who escaped with his father from a convoy headed from Nazi-occupied Paris to Auschwitz. At once honest, approachable, and speaking to the resilience of hope, One Day features sensitive illustrations by award-winning artist Benjamin Phillips, as well as a note from the author providing historical context.
40 pages, Hardcover
Published January 7, 2025
1 person is currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Michael Rosen
533Ìýbooks507ÌýfollowersMichael Rosen, a recent British Children’s Laureate, has written many acclaimed books for children, including WE'RE GOING ON A BEAR HUNT, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, and I’M NUMBER ONE and THIS IS OUR HOUSE, both illustrated by Bob Graham. Michael Rosen lives in London.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. .
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. .
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
April 17, 2024
"Get through one day and then on to the next.
One day at a time. One day after another."
The ever magnificent Michael Rosen tells the story of Eugène Handschuh and his father, Hungarian-French Jews who one day are rounded up by the Nazis and dropped in a prison camp. To make what they encounter there bearable, survivable, is tell themselves "one day at a time, one day after another". It's a very moving story, told clearly and concisely.
The illustrations are quite light and claustrophobic at the same time, most pictures including large groups of people.
Impressive.
(Thanks to Candlewick for providing me with an ARC through Edelweiss)
April 24, 2025
"Get through one day and then on to the next.
One day at a time. One day after another."
It is not easy to find hope in the stories of the despair that was the Holocaust. But Michael Rosen has written this moving true story about two men who survived, with the help of others by living one day at a time. Rosen voices the story through Eugene Handschuh, using words taken from press interviews. But he also uses the phrase"one day" throughout the story. He wrote this story for the 2022 Holocaust Memorial Day which used the phrase "one day" as it's motto. After key events in the story, repeating phrases similar to "on that one day, life was changed" exemplify how one single day can change everything. But he also repeated the phrase "Get through one day and then on to the next. One day at a time. One day after another." It reminds the reader that it is possible to get through tough times. The story of survival isn't sugar coated. The author mentions that Eugene and his father Oscar were two of a small handful of men who escaped the convoy to a prison camp. The other 1200 went to Auschwitz and only 29 returned. The story is illustrated in browns and greys with every page showing crowds of prisoners.
This picture book is not for young children but is a moving introduction to the topic appropriate for school age youngsters seven or older. In this current day and age with the war in Israel and the rise in antisemitism, it is important that we "Never Forget".
One day at a time. One day after another."
It is not easy to find hope in the stories of the despair that was the Holocaust. But Michael Rosen has written this moving true story about two men who survived, with the help of others by living one day at a time. Rosen voices the story through Eugene Handschuh, using words taken from press interviews. But he also uses the phrase"one day" throughout the story. He wrote this story for the 2022 Holocaust Memorial Day which used the phrase "one day" as it's motto. After key events in the story, repeating phrases similar to "on that one day, life was changed" exemplify how one single day can change everything. But he also repeated the phrase "Get through one day and then on to the next. One day at a time. One day after another." It reminds the reader that it is possible to get through tough times. The story of survival isn't sugar coated. The author mentions that Eugene and his father Oscar were two of a small handful of men who escaped the convoy to a prison camp. The other 1200 went to Auschwitz and only 29 returned. The story is illustrated in browns and greys with every page showing crowds of prisoners.
This picture book is not for young children but is a moving introduction to the topic appropriate for school age youngsters seven or older. In this current day and age with the war in Israel and the rise in antisemitism, it is important that we "Never Forget".
April 11, 2025
I appreciate that this one does a good job of showing the hardships for Jewish people beyond just the Holocaust- I don't think many people knew of the camps we saw here. The illustrations do a great job of showing the sheer amount of victims at play. Use language sparsely to get across a strong message
February 2, 2025
Powerful little tale. One day, get through to another one day. A story of resilience and strength.
February 27, 2025
Although I wanted to LOVE this book, I wasn't moved like I thought I would be. It was still an interesting story, just a bit flat. And I did love the illustrations, drab and dark...
April 20, 2025
I have liked very much Michael Rosen's picture books, often very light and funny, but when I read his Sad Book, a picture book for kids and families about the death of his own son, I was punched in the gut. And that was a good thing. But hard. This book does the same thing, in a way, though it has some hopefulness in it, obviously (see title)
Rosen was commissioned to write it for the 2022 Commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day. It is based on some research in which he discovered his uncle and aunt had been on the same train transporting Jews from Paris to Auschwitz as Eugene Handschuh, the narrator of the story, who tel;ls his transport and survival story. His relatives didn't survive--only 29 of 1200 in that particular process lived--but the two people featured in this story did, a son, Eugene, and his father.
The illustration work by Benjamin Phillips is perhaps even more memorable, actually. I am not saying this is not a powerful and inspiring story--it is, of course--hope, in the midst of such horror, but it seems sort of familiar to me, not particularly memorable in the small catalogue of survival stories.
I had just read this, though, and then found a poem Rosen wrote ten years ago that surfaced on my Substack feed. Rosen is a Jew, a picture book author, a poet, but he mainly works with children. He wrote the following poem after reading this article in the Guardian in 2014 about Israel banning an ad that would simply list the names of all the children recently killed in Gaza. I thought it might resonate with the ethical core of his picture book.
Don’t Mention the Children
‘Israel bans radio advert listing names of children killed in Gaza.� 2014
Michael Rosen, Poet
Don’t mention the children.
Don’t name the dead children.
The people must not know the names of the dead children.
The names of the children must be hidden.
The children must be nameless.
The children must leave this world having no names.
No one must know the names of the dead children.
No one must say the names of the dead children.
No one must even think that the children have names.
People must understand that it would be dangerous to know the names of the children.
The people must be protected from knowing the names of the children.
The names of the children could spread like wildfire.
The people would not be safe if they knew the names of the children.
Don’t name the dead children.
Don’t remember the dead children.
Don’t think of the dead children.
Don’t say: ‘dead children�.
Rosen was commissioned to write it for the 2022 Commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day. It is based on some research in which he discovered his uncle and aunt had been on the same train transporting Jews from Paris to Auschwitz as Eugene Handschuh, the narrator of the story, who tel;ls his transport and survival story. His relatives didn't survive--only 29 of 1200 in that particular process lived--but the two people featured in this story did, a son, Eugene, and his father.
The illustration work by Benjamin Phillips is perhaps even more memorable, actually. I am not saying this is not a powerful and inspiring story--it is, of course--hope, in the midst of such horror, but it seems sort of familiar to me, not particularly memorable in the small catalogue of survival stories.
I had just read this, though, and then found a poem Rosen wrote ten years ago that surfaced on my Substack feed. Rosen is a Jew, a picture book author, a poet, but he mainly works with children. He wrote the following poem after reading this article in the Guardian in 2014 about Israel banning an ad that would simply list the names of all the children recently killed in Gaza. I thought it might resonate with the ethical core of his picture book.
Don’t Mention the Children
‘Israel bans radio advert listing names of children killed in Gaza.� 2014
Michael Rosen, Poet
Don’t mention the children.
Don’t name the dead children.
The people must not know the names of the dead children.
The names of the children must be hidden.
The children must be nameless.
The children must leave this world having no names.
No one must know the names of the dead children.
No one must say the names of the dead children.
No one must even think that the children have names.
People must understand that it would be dangerous to know the names of the children.
The people must be protected from knowing the names of the children.
The names of the children could spread like wildfire.
The people would not be safe if they knew the names of the children.
Don’t name the dead children.
Don’t remember the dead children.
Don’t think of the dead children.
Don’t say: ‘dead children�.
March 11, 2025
Author Michael Rosen seems to gravitate to intense topics explored honestly yet through the lens of hope. In his latest offering, based on actual experiences, he tells the survival story of Eugene Handschuh and his father, Hungarian Jews living in Paris during the Nazi occupation. Captured on December 28, 1942, by the Nazis before they could escape, they were put in a prison camp and later put on a train with 1,200 others to be transported to Auschwitz when they managed to escape. Only 29 of the remaining passengers on that train survived. Throughout the narrative, Rosen emphasizes the importance of one day, one day that may change someone's life in a good way or a bad way. In order to survive, it became necessary to forget the past and not think about the future, and to keep in mind these words that are part of their survival story: "Get through one day and on to the next. One day at a time. One day after another" (unpaged). While the story is told simply, it's also an intense reading experience because of what these men endured and the close calls they had. The artwork, rendered in ink, charcoal, and pencil, is stirring with its sepia tones and subdued colors, all intended to reflect the bleakness and horror of those times. The significance of the brick walls on the endpapers and the gathering of so many different faces and shoulders on the book jacket cannot be misunderstood. Taken together, the book provides an intense, thoughtful reading experience that is sure to have readers thinking about the importance of each of those one days and how difficult it must have been to have any hope of surviving at all.
May 26, 2024
A young boy, Eugene, and his father are captured and put on a train to a camp. During WWII, the Jews were rounded up and taken to concentration camps.
They take one day at a time, talking about the next day. In the camp, they work with others to begin digging a tunnel so they can escape, but the tunnel is found. They are put on a train to another camp, but they are determined to escape. Thankfully, some of them manage to get off the train, and are either hidden by kind people along the rode, or make it back to Paris, so they can work with the French Resistance.
Based on a true story, this is a story of hope. History needs to be shared, and by introducing younger readers to stories like this, there is a better understanding as they grow. It should never be forgotten.
Highly recommend this read! Thank you to Edelweiss and Candlewick for the advanced review copy for my unbiased review.
They take one day at a time, talking about the next day. In the camp, they work with others to begin digging a tunnel so they can escape, but the tunnel is found. They are put on a train to another camp, but they are determined to escape. Thankfully, some of them manage to get off the train, and are either hidden by kind people along the rode, or make it back to Paris, so they can work with the French Resistance.
Based on a true story, this is a story of hope. History needs to be shared, and by introducing younger readers to stories like this, there is a better understanding as they grow. It should never be forgotten.
Highly recommend this read! Thank you to Edelweiss and Candlewick for the advanced review copy for my unbiased review.
March 28, 2025
How do you get through the very worst of times? One day at a time and with a lot of courage. Michael Rosen tells the harrowing true story of Hungarian Jews in Paris, Eugene Handschuh and his father, through their arrest, to prison camp, to a train to a concentration camp. I'll give away the ending--they both survived when so many others did not. Both their own courage and the courage of those who helped them kept them safe. Already part of the resistance, Eugene and his father, along with others in the resistance, worked hard to escape. Eugene and his father became separated but were reunited in freedom when so many were not. Rosen ends the book with a lesson to get through one day at a time, and then the next. An author's note in the back explains that this book was commissioned for Holocaust Memorial Day in 2022. Never forget. Obviously, this book is for older children and up.
January 28, 2025
This is a very depressing story for picture book format, but for those looking to add another Holocaust story to their library, Rosen's story is one of the many individual unique harrowing tales. When the cavernous feat that young boy Eugene and his father ~~ who have been working to build a tunnel to escape capture and death from Nazis ~~ is discovered by the Nazis, readers will assume the worst. Eugene and his father are put aboard a cattle train with over a thousand headed to Auschwitz but through some miracle 19 are able to crash through the barred "window" and escape, making it possible for this story to be told. Nearly all the others died.
In browns, grays, and black, the illustrations perfect capture the dreadful tone of this horrific report.
In browns, grays, and black, the illustrations perfect capture the dreadful tone of this horrific report.
April 18, 2025
A very moving story about one father and son, Hungarian Jews, and their experience during the Holocaust. The illustrations are perfect and the story gives just enough details to understand but not overwhelm. The story resonates, especially in light of things that are happening in this country now. The parallels of the beginning are striking. Miraculously, the story ends on a note of Hope, but throughout is the theme of focusing on the present.
"ONE DAY our lives changed.
We didn't think about yesterday
and tomorrow may not happen.
We had to cope with what was in front of us
on that day.
Get through one day
and then on to the next.
One day at a time.
One day after another."
"ONE DAY our lives changed.
We didn't think about yesterday
and tomorrow may not happen.
We had to cope with what was in front of us
on that day.
Get through one day
and then on to the next.
One day at a time.
One day after another."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 12, 2025
A beautifully told snapshot into a series of significant events, across lots of significant days, in a moment in time during the Holocaust. It��s so important to share some stories of hope amongst so many that were anything but hopeful, and Rosen did a wonderful job here.
The illustrations are a very specific style which, whilst in keeping with the theme of the story, was not to my taste so had I not been sent this for review from the publishers I likely wouldn’t have picked it up. I’m glad I did though, but certainly worth having a look yourself to make sure you appreciate the style.
ARC provided from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
The illustrations are a very specific style which, whilst in keeping with the theme of the story, was not to my taste so had I not been sent this for review from the publishers I likely wouldn’t have picked it up. I’m glad I did though, but certainly worth having a look yourself to make sure you appreciate the style.
ARC provided from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
June 12, 2024
5 stars
I read a digital advance copy courtesy of the publisher and Edelweiss.
This is a powerful story about the human spirit and how sometimes we can do superhuman things to survive. Eugene and his father are hiding from the Nazis when they are rounded up in Paris and sent to a detainment/work camp. After a failed attempt to escape via tunnel, the two and 11 of their co-conspirators, are sent on a convoy to the unknown from where none return. But they escape, along with 15 others and manage to survive the war, working with the Resistance.
I read a digital advance copy courtesy of the publisher and Edelweiss.
This is a powerful story about the human spirit and how sometimes we can do superhuman things to survive. Eugene and his father are hiding from the Nazis when they are rounded up in Paris and sent to a detainment/work camp. After a failed attempt to escape via tunnel, the two and 11 of their co-conspirators, are sent on a convoy to the unknown from where none return. But they escape, along with 15 others and manage to survive the war, working with the Resistance.
January 8, 2025
Get through one day and then on to the next. One day at a time. One day after another.
A true story of escape and survival during the Holocaust. "One day" is repeated throughout the simple, but moving text.
The cover art of face after face, all genders, all ages, is particularly harrowing when you think about the twelve hundred people on the train. 19 jumped and escaped, the rest went to Auschwitz. Only 29 came back.
A true story of escape and survival during the Holocaust. "One day" is repeated throughout the simple, but moving text.
The cover art of face after face, all genders, all ages, is particularly harrowing when you think about the twelve hundred people on the train. 19 jumped and escaped, the rest went to Auschwitz. Only 29 came back.
April 9, 2024
I like how the colors are muted and solemn. It's a good depiction of being transported and surviving without being too brutal, so could be used in middle grades. Interested younger readers could read as well. I appreciate the history behind the story inthe afterword as well.
January 25, 2025
A very sad story about a father and son and how they survived the Holocaust. The subject matter is handled in a way that older elementary students could read and shows many of the terrible things people had to live though to survive.
March 28, 2025
An interesting snapshot into one day during the Holocaust. The way Michael Rosen learned about this family while researching his own aunt and uncle demonstrates how connected the world is. The description of the smells in the train car added to the story's authenticity.
January 8, 2025
A difficult read, and I struggled to want to ever let a child read it. And yet, so important, so important! Beautifully done.
January 20, 2025
I liked it but it was a pretty frightening.
February 2, 2025
Poignant and beautifully written. The illustrations enhance the story of this heartbreaking era.
March 11, 2025
Powerful, rare holocaust survival story, picture book. For grades 2-5. Beautifully told and illustrated.
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