Bartali's Bicycle: The True Story of Gino Bartali, Italy's Secret Hero

by Megan Hoyt, Iacopo Bruno (Illustrator)

Overview

This 2021 National Jewish Book Award finalist by author Megan Hoyt and illustrator Iacopo Bruno brings to light the inspiring, true story of Gino Bartali, a beloved Italian cyclist and secret champion in the fight for Jewish lives during World War II.

Gino Bartali pedaled across Italy for years, winning one cycling race after another, including the 1938 Tour de France. Gino became an international sports hero! But the next year, World War II began, and it changed everything. Soldiers marched into Italy. Tanks rolled down the cobbled streets of Florence. And powerful leaders declared that Jewish people should be arrested.

To the entire world, Gino Bartali was merely a champion cyclist. But Gino’s greatest achievement was something he never told a soul—that he secretly worked with the Italian resistance to save hundreds of Jewish men, women, and children, and others, from certain death, using the one thing no authority would question: his bicycle.

This compelling nonfiction picture book for elementary-age readers offers a unique perspective on World War II history. It's a strong choice for units on the war and for biographies of lesser-known heroes in history and in sports.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062908117
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/23/2021
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	114,465
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 11.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Megan Hoyt first fell in love with reading on a cozy branch of the crab apple tree outside her Texas home. She devoured Beverly Cleary’s books there, and Marguerite Henry’s “horsey books” still remind her of the loud Texas cicadas at dusk. Bartali’s Bicycle is Megan’s debut picture book biography. Her first picture book was Hildegard’s Gift, and her poem, “Thanksgiving by the Lake,” appears in the anthology Thanku: Poems of Gratitude. When she is not writing, Megan tutors child actors on set for Disney, Warner Bros., Showtime, and Cinemax, among others. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, where most days she is surrounded by three fluffy pups and piles upon piles of picture books. Visit Megan online at www.meganhoyt.net.

Iacopo Bruno is a graphic designer and illustrator. He is also the illustrator of the acclaimed books Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France and Anything But Ordinary Addie, both by Mara Rockliff. He lives and works in Milan, Italy, with his wife, Francesca. Learn more about Iacopo at theworldofdot.com and iacopobruno.blogspot.it.

Editorial Reviews

01/11/2021

Hoyt relays the extraordinary actions of Gino Bartali, an Italian cyclist who won the 1938 Tour de France and went on to save around 800 Jewish people and 50 English soldiers during the Nazi occupation of Italy. Several of Bartoli’s pivotal efforts are illuminated, including his delivering fake identity packets to families across Italy and using his cycling fame to shield people as they boarded trains to freedom. Hoyt’s prose is atmospheric (“Gino pedaled up steep mountains dotted with alpine villages”), and Bruno’s bold, poster-style illustrations, rendered in pencil with digital color, prove thoroughly immersive. An engrossing look at a humble man whose efforts benefited many. Back matter includes a timeline, a note from Bartali’s granddaughter, an author’s note, and a bibliography. Ages 4–8. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

The author uses clear, descriptive sentences that flow and paint a vivid picture. The art is striking and has an art-deco feel to it, which lends itself to the era…A great start for any student wanting to know more about how different people helped resist the efforts of the Nazis during World War II.”  — School Library Journal (starred review)

“A well-made story and a welcome, timely reminder of what true courage is.” — Kirkus Reviews

"Hoyt’s prose is atmospheric and Bruno’s bold, poster-style illustrations prove thoroughly immersive. An engrossing look at a humble man whose efforts benefited many." — Publishers Weekly

"This attractive and engaging account of a famous athlete, recognized as Righteous Among the Nations in 2013, and his quiet heroism is inspirational and adds a unique perspective to Holocaust literature." — Booklist

"Poster-style, digital art follows the compelling story of a sports and real-life hero, also known for his modesty." — San Francisco Chronicle

"This beau­ti­ful and infor­ma­tive new pic­ture book biog­ra­phy of Bar­tali encour­ages young read­ers to empathize with his dilem­ma and to under­stand the incred­i­ble brav­ery of this qui­et and mod­est man. High­ly rec­om­mend­ed." — Jewish Book Council

From the Publisher

"Poster-style, digital art follows the compelling story of a sports and real-life hero, also known for his modesty."

San Francisco Chronicle

"This beau­ti­ful and infor­ma­tive new pic­ture book biog­ra­phy of Bar­tali encour­ages young read­ers to empathize with his dilem­ma and to under­stand the incred­i­ble brav­ery of this qui­et and mod­est man. High­ly rec­om­mend­ed."

Jewish Book Council

"This attractive and engaging account of a famous athlete, recognized as Righteous Among the Nations in 2013, and his quiet heroism is inspirational and adds a unique perspective to Holocaust literature."

Booklist

"Poster-style, digital art follows the compelling story of a sports and real-life hero, also known for his modesty."

San Francisco Chronicle

"This attractive and engaging account of a famous athlete, recognized as Righteous Among the Nations in 2013, and his quiet heroism is inspirational and adds a unique perspective to Holocaust literature."

Booklist

★ 06/04/2021

Gr 4–8—Gino Bartali was a resistance hero who used his bike, his reputation as a competitive cyclist, and his fame as a Tour de France winner not only to fool the German troops who occupied Italy but also to help hundreds of families escape during World War II. Jewish Italians were desperate to flee but needed new identities to leave the country. Bartali stuffed the lifesaving papers into the tubes of his bike, then carried on his ostensible business of training for races, all the while dropping off valuable documents, covering more than 250 miles a day over mountains, through villages, and into larger cities. When he was forced to join the militia, he used his role to locate and free prisoners and kept a family hidden in his own basement. All the while, his humility and modesty prevailed: He never discussed his role in this effort, so his heroism wasn't known until well after he died. The author uses clear, descriptive sentences that flow and paint a vivid picture. The art is striking and has an art-deco feel to it, which lends itself to the era. Each illustration shows some part or angle of Bartali's bike, and Bartali himself, dressed in colorful biking clothes, is often in the foreground while Nazis are portrayed in darker tones in the background. Back matter includes a brief time line of Bartali's life, a letter from his granddaughter, an author's note, and a list of sources. VERDICT This would be a great start for any student wanting to know more about how different people helped resist the efforts of the Nazis during World War II.—Maggie Chase, Boise State Univ., ID

School Library Journal

2020-12-15
The story of an Italian cyclist whose work with the Resistance in World War II earned him the designation of “Righteous Among Nations” from Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Center.

Gino Bartali was a professional cyclist and had already won the prestigious Tour de France when World War II broke out. Dismayed by the rhetoric and aggression against Jews (and he counted many Jews as his close friends), Bartali made the decision to work for the Resistance, hiding fake identity papers in the hollow handlebars of his bicycle and, on his training rides, delivering them to families in danger. He also used his celebrity to create disturbances at train stations—distracting the soldiers so families being deported could board other trains—and even hid a close friend’s family in his basement. Afterward, Bartali never spoke about it, saying “Good is something you do, not something you talk about.” The text does a good job of relaying Bartali’s actions and his role-model courage, but the illustrations really set this picture book apart. Each one is an overall accomplished design in the mode of early cycling posters that brings readers’ eyes in, around, and to the page turn. The use of highlights and shadows to both delineate objects and to evoke mood and atmosphere is masterful. Bicycle details are accurate to the time period, as is Bartali’s cycling kit—a welcome attention to detail that enhances the story’s authenticity. A note from Bartali’s granddaughter appears in the backmatter.

A well-made story and a welcome, timely reminder of what true courage is. (timeline, author’s note, sources) (Picture book/biography. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews