

Now ask the children to decide on a font and rewrite the word ‘holocaust’. By this age, children should be familiar with word webs and the construction of word web major and minor themes. They may consult a dictionary or online wikipedia. In groups of no more than four, ask the students to brainstorm what they know about the Holocaust.


One way to connect to children’s prior knowledge is for the teacher to write the word ‘holocaust’ in the centre of a sheet of poster paper or on an interactive Padlet. Prior knowledge about the historical facts helps the reader to empathise with the situations in which Felix finds himself. An understanding that Felix is experiencing historical events as his lived reality/perception is an important element in comprehending this narrative. The narrative’s protagonist, Felix, creates stories to help him process the events which happen to him and the other characters. In order to understand the themes of the narrative and the central character, Felix, the students need to have engaged in preliminary reading and viewing of information about the Holocaust and the persecution of Jewish people during World War II. Children and their parents/carers need to be aware that the incidents and the history of the Holocaust may be upsetting for some child readers. Prior to introducing the book, teachers should view this unit and consider what is appropriate for the children in their class.
