Hana's Suitcase

Finding Hana’s drawings is a powerful moment for Fumiko and the children, who start a club called “Small Wings” (41). The children begin producing a monthly newsletter, where they write articles and poems and make pictures to send out to schools across Japan to tell other young people about Hana. The children want to see what Hana looks like, so Fumiko begins working on finding one. Fumiko also feels that she is ready to open her exhibit, “The Holocaust Seen Through Children’s Eyes” (42). 

With both parents gone, George and Hana move in with their Uncle Ludvik and his family, a brave act by Ludvik since there are harsh consequences for non-Jews who harbor Jews. Hana packs her suitcase to bring to Ludvik’s house.

Over the winter, George and Hana play at Uncle Ludvik and Aunt Hedda’s house; pictures on Pages 49 and 50 show their life during this time. Sometimes, George and Hana return to their old house and eat a meal with the housekeeper, Boshka. Letters arrive from Father intermittently, and George reads “only the cheerful parts to his sister” (48). The chapter closes with an implication that Hana might be deported.