Bommen op de Dierentuin
Author: Wilma Degeling
Illustrator: Helen van Vliet
Series: Terugblikken (Looking back - 50 books)
Original language: Dutch
Translated by: not
Published: September 2009
Publisher: Delubas
ISBN13: 9789053003473
Price: € 12.95
Age: 8 years and up
Bombs at the zoo (Bommen op de dierentuin) is the book we read on May 5. War is always a very important subject, to learn more about. But at this time of the year, the emphasis always arises because there was the Second World War in the Netherlands from 1940 up to and including May 1945.
The book of today is about that war, only this time it's not about the people who died but about the animals. Many animals in Diergaarde Blijdorp (Blijdorp Zoo) have perished at the bombing in Rotterdam. Every life that is ended too early by war is equally important, whether you are human or animal.
This is how the main character in the book Jacob thinks and he goes through a lot. The beauty of this book is that it's an exciting story that gives you a good idea of how children lived back then, very different from now. It is history in an attractive jacket.
If you are a real Rotterdammer the book will be extra special to you because you read what happened to our city at that time. Every Rotterdammer - young or old - should know this (but maybe that's already true). Below a video from that time and a photo of our (great)grandfather with his brothers and friends, who helped to clear the city center, after the bombing of Rotterdam.
Delubas is an educational publishing house, they print books that are mostly used in schools. This series of 50 reading books belongs to the Netherlands's history canon. That means there are 50 books that all have a theme in time, and if you read those books consecutively, you know the entire history of the Netherlands. From prehistory up to now but if you follow Klokhuis on television, you know this already ;)
If your school does not have the books, you can always borrow them from the library, buy them in the bookstore or online. Bombs at the Zoo is Snazzie's first book from the series and we all love it! We will certainly read more parts of this series, but if that will be all 49 is still the question ;)
Anyway, Bombs at the Zoo gets three beautiful stars from the young snazzie readers!