Photo display introduces children to Anne Frank

Anne Frank kept a diary of her life from age 13 to 15. Unlike most girls her age, Anne's life during this period was confined to a "secret annex" on the upper floors of a house in Amsterdam. Outside of those rooms, the occupying Nazis were looking for people like Anne. She was Jewish and it was 1942.

Inside were not only Anne and her sister Margo, but also her mother and father, Emily and Otto. Later, they were joined by another family of three and then another person. That's eight people confined to a very small space. Much of Anne's diary was about these people and their relationships with each other. In the later portions of the diary, Anne tackles more abstract subjects such as her belief in God and the essence of human nature.

Even at age 13, Anne was an extraordinary writer. Poet John Berryman characterized the diary as a unique depiction, not merely of adolescence but of the "conversion of a child into a person as it is happening in a precise, confident, economical style stunning in its honesty."

Eventually an informant told Nazi authorities about the secret annex and all the occupants were interrogated, jailed, separated from each other and taken to concentration camps. Only Anne's father, Otto, survived.

Miraculously, Anne's diary and some other notes found their way back to Otto after the war was over. He arranged for publication of the diary and dedicated the rest of his life to Anne's message of tolerance and compassion. Today the diary has been translated into 67 languages and is one of the most widely read books in the world.

The Ela Area Public Library is currently hosting an exhibit, "Anne Frank: A Private Photo Album."

Being an excellent amateur photographer, Otto Frank took some remarkable pictures of his daughters, Anne and Margo, before the family fled Germany for Holland. At a time when snapshots were uncommon, he expertly used light and shadow to capture his children and his love for them.

The exhibit of 70 black-and-white photographs starkly contrasts the life of hardship, prejudice and imprisonment the Franks suffered only a few short years later. The exhibit also features a 28-minute film, "The Short Life of Anne Frank."

Natalie Ziarnik is the head of children's' services at the library and the person responsible for bringing the exhibit to the library.

"We hoped to introduce Anne Frank to children in a gradual, engaging and personal way. This exhibit, developed by the Anne Frank House and sponsored in North America by the Anne Frank Center, is perfect for fifth-graders and older," she said.

Ziarnik wrote a winning grant proposal to the Illinois State Library for federal Library Service and Technology Act funds to bring the exhibit to the library.

"But I had no idea what it would mean to host such an exhibit," she said. "We've planned a whole range of programs for adults and children to supplement the exhibit. We've put up a special Web site (eapl.org/annefrank) and organized other, special publicity.

"We've solicited volunteers to train as docents and we've been amazed at the response. This has truly been a group effort for everyone at our library. It's been rewarding to see the staff and public so enthusiastic," she added.

The exhibit is free and on display at the Ela Area Public Library until March 29.

Go to www.eapl.org/annefrank/ for library hours, directions, details of programs and other information.

For additional information about Anne Frank, put "Anne Frank House" into your browser to access the official Anne Frank House Web site.