Mr. Benjamin's Suitcase of Secrets

K-Gr 2—In this picture book based on a true story, Chang takes a World War II refugee story and makes it a fanciful tale of a philosopher's mysterious suitcase. A top-hatted and mustachioed Walter Benjamin flees his country under threat of arrest, carrying a heavy red suitcase with unknown contents. He is led to the border by a Mrs. Fittko and other refugees but is turned away. Neither he nor his suitcase is ever seen again, and people all over the world wonder what could possibly have been inside. The back matter includes information about Benjamin, Lisa Fittko, and the Taiwanese author/illustrator and her connection to the story. However, there's no explanation of what elements are based on fact and what is fiction. Chang never mentions that Benjamin is Jewish or why he fled, besides the statement that "the country in which he lived decided that extraordinary ideas were very dangerous." The title's attempt at a timeless, artistic look at refugee issues and the power of ideas is lost without real historical context in the back matter, but this may be a good overview for those introducing the concept of war and refugees to preschoolers. The quirky mixed-media illustrations, rendered in pastel, graphite, and paper collage, are highly textured and surreal, calling to mind the work of Maira Kalman or Oliver Jeffers. Some of the visuals are centered, leading to parts of the image being lost in the gutter.