Helen looks back with regret and sadness on events in her childhood during the Nazi occupation of France. As a small girl, she was unable to comprehend the fear and injustice experienced by her best friend, Lydia, who was Jewish. To Helen, the yellow star was "pretty," and Lydia's decision to go home after a frightening event rather than spend the night for Helen's birthday was hurtful. The day after her birthday, Helen has forgiven Lydia for leaving, but it's too late. The Germans have come, and Lydia and her family are gone. Stark, full-page illustrations accompany a painful, somber story about the Holocaust. (Ages 7-10)