Hidden Hope: How a Toy and a Hero Saved Lives During the Holocaust

The award-winning, remarkable true story of how a toy duck was used to smuggle forged identity papers for Jewish refugees during World War II, written by Emmy Award–winning journalist Elisa Boxer and movingly illustrated by the acclaimed Amy June Bates.

Hidden Hope, a true story, celebrates everyday heroism, resilience, the triumph of the human spirit, and finding hope in unexpected places. This Sydney Taylor Honor Book includes photographs of the actual toy and real forged identity papers, helping to bring history alive for today's readers.

During World War II, a social worker named Jacqueline bicycled through the streets of Paris, passing Nazi soldiers and carrying a toy duck to share with the children she visited. What the Nazis didn’t know, however, was that Jacqueline wasn’t a social worker at all, but a Jewish member of the French Resistance.

Families across Europe went into hiding as the Nazis rounded up anyone Jewish. The Star of David, a symbol of faith and pride, became a tool of hate when the Nazis forced people to wear the star on their clothing and carry papers identifying them as Jewish, so that it was clear who to arrest. But many brave souls dared to help them.

Jacqueline was one of them. She risked her life in secret workshops, where forgers created false identity papers. But how to get these life-saving papers to families in hiding? The toy duck held the answer.