Dansen op de brug van Avignon

by Ida Vos

Dutch

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, World War II

146 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Ida Vos (maiden name Gudema) (December 13, 1931 – April 3, 2006) was a Dutch author. She wrote books for adults and children. In most of her books, Vos wrote about her experiences as a Jewish girl during the Second World War. Her best-known book was Wie niet weg is wordt gezien (published in English as Hide and Seek), which was awarded with a Dutch literature prize for children's books in 1982.

From 1936, Vos and her family lived in Rotterdam. In Rotterdam, she experienced the German bombardment of the city in May 1940, after which her family moved to Rijswijk (near The Hague). In 1943 the Gudema family went into hiding. Vos and her sister Elly were separated from their parents during this period (relating to her book Hide and Seek).

After the war Vos became a kindergarten teacher. She married in 1956, and had three children. During the 1970s she was admitted to a hospital due to her war traumas. This led to writing about her experiences, first as poems, but soon in the shape of stories and - eventually - children's books. Central in her work was the infringement on her freedom by the Nazi occupiers and the time she spent in hiding.

Vos died on April 3, 2006 in Amstelveen at 74.

Reviews

[Ingrid Pina · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have not read the book Dancing on the bridge of Avignon by Ida Vos well I really recommend it because it is a sad story and it tells different story's in each chapter but it all adds up at the end . In the book Dancing on the bridge of Avignon it is really realistic because in the book it expresses Rosa and her family's feelings when they are going through a hard time in their life during World War 2 . One reason why I really like the book Dancing on the bridge of Avignon is because it is about Rosa's family going through a hard time so it is sad because they try their best to try to not get caught by the Germans . Second reason why I really like this book is because at the end of the book it made me feel happy because Rosa did not get caught by the Germans but her family did. The last reason why i liked the book Dancing on the bridge of Avignon is because the book is based on a true story so it shows what the characters thought , felt and said. I really love this book but one thing i really dislike about this book is that at the beginning of the book it is not interesting (its boring). Another thing that I dislike about the book Dancing on the bridge of Avignon is that it includes history which I personally dislike. The one quote i really that is in the book Dancing on the bridge of Avignon is "Don't be afraid to do something so just go"

[VJK · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book to James for his historical fiction book report. It was a bit slow but opened into what life was like for the Jewish people in Holland when the Nazis occupied it.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very touching story, World War II story. I think it's something about Jews being caught, and this one girl who can play the violin is let go by a German officer because she reminds him of his daughter. I think the Bridge of Avignon was some imaginary place that the Jews looked forward too...

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! It is so sad, but true to history. I was surprised to find it in the children's section of my city's public library, but this is a good WWII story that is told through the view of a child. I believe the story was even based on what happened to the author.

[Emma]

i read this book while i was camping last summer. i've never been one to enjoy a book about the halocaust but this one was touching.