Speaking as an adult, Lobel says she was born in Krakow, Poland, during a bad time in history. She moved to New York City as a teen, and now she draws pictures. She remembers her first childhood interactions with reading and illustrations. She liked her dad, adored her nanny, and was on her way to a nice life until Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939. Only five years old when World War II began, Lobel expresses sympathy for adults who lived through it since they had established lives and were fully aware of what was happening, unlike children. Lobel says childhoods are contentious regardless of the circumstances, and she doesn’t want to label herself a victim because most of her life has been good. Nonetheless, the memories she’s about to express are not great, so the reader should prepare themselves for unsettling scenes.

As a child, Anita sees soldiers marching through Krakow. Some of the people she’s with say they’re French soldiers, but they’re Germans. It’s a nice day. Anita remembers an Orthodox Jewish neighbor, a