Anita Kosciecha
Day One Publications
64 pages, £6.00
ISBN: 978-1-84625-421-5
Star Rating: 4
This little gem is a great summary for children of Corrie Ten Boom’s original classic The hiding place.
Using concise narrative, with a large font, the story of Corrie’s life is told with a deft touch, alongside many large digital illustrations that enhance young readers’ engagement with the story.
At various points the salient historical background is given, to explain why she hid Jews from the Nazis, why she was sent to a concentration camp, and why afterwards she preached internationally on forgiveness.
I read it to my eight-year-old son and found the book quite suitable for reading in two or three sittings. I was thankful that many gruesome details from the original have been sensitively generalised for a young audience, sparing them unnecessary trauma.
I was most impressed by the succinct theological reflections drawn from Corrie’s life. We’re shown the heart of someone devoted to God in the hardest of times; ‘she knew God’s plan for her life was best, even when it hurt’. The steadfast love of the Lord is highlighted: ‘There is no pit so deep that God is not deeper still’.
We also witness the gracious providence of God time and again, not least her seemingly accidental release from Ravensbrück concentration camp a week before she would have been executed. The climax is a brief account of God enabling her to forgive one of the soldiers who had guarded her at Ravensbrück concentration camp.
I’d gladly read this again to my children, encouraging them to live their lives devoted to the same God whose sovereign love so greatly blessed the author.
Elisabeth Epps
Stevenage
