Als Hitler das rosa Kaninchen stahl - Judith Kerr

I'd long been intrigued by the English title of this book (When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit) in a list of other works by the author in our well-loved copy of The Tiger Who Came to Tea, so when I came across this translation in the library it seemed like a good opportunity to find out more while practising my German.  I found the story rather eye-opening, as it presents an account of the threats and hardships of being one of the 'lucky' ones who escaped before the Nazis came to power.  The engaging and upbeat narrator was very likeable, particularly her rather endearing conclusion that she will probably never become famous because her experiences as a refugee, which she describes as interesting and sometimes funny despite their challenges, do not qualify as a difficult childhood because she has been able to stay together with her family.  I also really enjoyed the experience of reading it in German - although it was originally written in English, the experiences she describes begin in Germany and often focus on the fact of German being the family's native language, so it felt very natural to be reading it this way.  I also had a strange moment of realisation after enjoying a passage in which Anna suddenly discovers that she has learned to speak French fluently without needing to mentally translate back and forth into German.  I paused for a moment to wistfully imagine how wonderful it would be to be fluent in another language, only to catch myself and notice that I was quite happily reading in one...  I'd also like to record here a conversation between Anna and her father that resonated with me (particularly on behalf of my children, who have moved between countries early in their lives): "Glaubst du, dass wir jemals irgendwo richtig hingehören werden?" "Ich glaube nicht", sagte Papa, "nicht so, wie die Menschen irgendwo hingehören, die ihr Leben lang an einem Ort gewohnt haben. Aber wir werden zu vielen Orten ein wenig gehören, und ich glaube, das kann ebenso gut sein."