THE Jewish Holocaust might not strike one as an obvious topic for a children's book. But Irish novelist John Boyne's first book for children, The Boy In The Striped Pajamas, tells the story of two unusual friends - Bruno, the eight-year-old son of a concentration camp commandant, and Shmuel, a child prisoner in the camp.

During the Holocaust, about six million Jews were systematically exterminated by Germany's Nazi regime in World War II.

Boyne's book was a hit, selling more than five million copies worldwide since 2006, and it was made into a movie last year.

The 38-year-old, who is in town for the Singapore Writers Festival, says adults tend to underestimate children's ability to cope with sophisticated questions. 'Children are able to understand these difficult issues. There is no need to talk down to them or patronise them.'

Read the full story in Tuesday's edition of The Straits Times' Life!