Once

Gleitzman dedicated Once to “all the children whose stories have never been told” (6). While Felix is a fictional character, his story serves as a proxy for the hundreds of thousands of Jewish children who were murdered in the Holocaust and were never able to tell their own. As a work of children’s literature, the emphasis Gleitzman puts upon storytelling demonstrates the importance of imagination and creativity. Felix serves as an example of how imagination and creativity foster empathy and kindness to others—the antidote to the fascistic, genocidal worldview of groups like the Nazis.

Felix’s worldview is informed by storytelling. As the child of booksellers, Felix grew up reading books. Richmal Crompton’s William series is particularly influential on Felix’s attitude toward life. According to Felix, the protagonist of Crompton’s books “always tries to do good things, and no matter how much mess and damage he causes, no matter how naughty he ends up being, his mum and dad never leave him” (17). In many ways, this description also fits Felix.

In Once, storytelling allows Felix to reason away the violence and destruction he encounters before he is rescued by Barney, deepening his state of denial.