The Dollmaker of Krakow takes a difficult subject, the Holocaust, and through the use of fantasy and a smidgeon of magic, makes it palatable enough for children to serve as an introduction to genocide. But, just because this is a children’s story, doesn’t mean adults can’t read and savor it. Romero successfully blends fairy tales and a real-life horror story into an enchanting book.
Karolina is a doll who inhabits the Land of the Dolls. When her homeland is taken over by giant rats, she is magically transported to Krakow to the workshop of Cyryl, a lonely dollmaker, who gives her a heart and makes her into a living doll. War has also broken out as Germany and Russia both invade Poland. The stories of the two wars are interwoven in separate chapters. The dollmaker and his doll develop a deep bond. She helps him overcome his reticence and make friends with Josef and Rena, a Jewish father and daughter.
There are lovely illustrations throughout as well. The folk-art cover enticed me to read it, as well as the fact that I’d been editing my own novel on genocide and wanted to see how another author handled a tough subject.
The best part about this book is that these lovely characters try to do good in a world that has gone to hell. Also, the Holocaust itself isn’t glossed over. There’s no happily-ever-after for Karolina and Cyryl. Romero’s approach to Hilter’s “Final Solution” is gentle but appropriate. This story is a great first introduction to man’s inhumanity to man. Though geared to children in eight to ten year old range, adults can read it, as I did, with alacrity and be magically transported, just as I was, to a different place and time.
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The Dollmaker of Krakow (Delacorte Press, September 12, 2017) is available through:
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