A is for The Diary of Anne Frank: Library Notes

I chose The Diary of Anne Frank for this post. Yes, it is a book for older children but I want you to consider the importance of biographies. We all have a story to tell. Anne Frank's story was not really told until after she died but then her story became an important documentation of one victim of the holocaust. Her story was her own, unique, yet it served to represent a much wider population of individuals. 

It is important as we go through life that we take time to listen to people's stories. When we learn about what others experienced in life, we gain wisdom and understanding that will help us in our own lives. When you read a biography, you can imaginatively walk through their story with them. You can learn about the person but also the time and place where they lived out their experiences. It is helpful to be able to listen to their insights and benefit from their varied perspectives.

I would suggest that you have children take time to write their own story. How can they do this? There are many options. One is to  have them complete a back to school summary each year. What is their favourite book or movie? What restaurant do they like? What do they want to do in life?  The questions can be varied to include a favourite toy, a popular quote they use, the price of a loaf of bread that week, a description of their character and so forth. Each year you could fill in the same outline or choose one with different key points. 

The child could also keep a journal. This could be daily, weekly or occasional. Perhaps for summer vacation, in lieu of schoolwork you could have a child write a journal each weekday. They could draw a picture, cut and paste or write out a story. Maybe they want to talk about a place they went, an activity they did or a book they read. Maybe they just want to glue in a postcard or a candy wrapper or a menu from a new restaurant they tried. It isn't so much the academics of it but to have documentation of their life that summer and the life story they are writing each day.

You could also do a story in pictures. It could be an album of highlights from their life. It could be a timeline of something significant for each year of their life or each month of that year. I was imagining photographs but drawings could also be used or cutouts too. 

Another option is to write a letter to your child each year for their birthday. You can talk about how they have grown, what they look like or what their character is like. You can include some key memories from the year or some key historical events that occurred that year. It will definitely become a cherished collection as the years go on.

I would also suggest that you have your child write someone else's story. They could read Anne Frank's biography and write a summary of it. They could make up a book of biographical sketches as they read more and more biographies. They could alternatively have a book of favourite quotes and as they read a variety of books they can copy in the best quotes they learn and who said them. And yet, my favourite suggestion is to have your child write the story of their grandparents. Perhaps there are others they want to write about as well like an aunt or a teacher but there is great value in hearing the life of those who went before you and whose choices led to your existence. It is part of their own story to learn about the stories of family members so I highly suggest they consider writing out a brief biography of their grandparents. Note: For early writers, this can be very simple. For example, page 1: full name and birthdate. page 2: parents and siblings names. Page 3: where were they born? draw that flag. Page 4: add a picture of grandpa's favourite food and so forth.

If you want to know more specifically about Anne Frank since it was her story that prompted this post, I will share briefly her story as a teaser to get you to learn more if you don't know her story yet. Anne Frank was born in Germany in 1929 to Jewish parents. They moved to Amsterdam with her and her older sister for a better life but during World War 2 the Dutch army surrendered to the Nazis and life for Jews become increasingly difficult. There came a time Anne and others had to go into hiding where they remained behind a wall for two years. Eventually she was discovered and taken to a concentration camp where she and her sister contracted typhus and died. She only lived until 1945 but her writings in a journal lived on and told her story. Not only that, but her story was translated and shared around the world, making a major impact for generations afterwards.

How can your biography change the life of someone today? You may not get to choose all the circumstances you face in life but you get to choose how you will live day by day. Choose well.