★ 02/01/2023
Gr 3–5—While there's no shortage of Holocaust stories, Stelson has written a moving and uplifting account of a humanitarian effort that ultimately saved 669 Jewish Czech children. The Kindertransport took children from their hometown of Prague to England, where they lived with foster families while war broke out at home and most of their families were killed. The remarkable tale is told through a first-person plural that replicates the children's innocent voices and experiences; Alko's rich acrylic and collage illustrations help bring the heartbreaking historical event to life and render it accessible to a young audience. The story ends 50 years later, when the mystery of who helped the children, now grown, is revealed; Nicholas Winton, a British Jew and former banker, arranged all of it. "By saving us as children, Nicholas Winton saved our children, our grandchildren, and all their children to come." The weight of his inspiring work is inestimable. Back matter includes further information about the Kindertransport and Yad Vashem's Children's Memorial, a time line, source notes, author's note, illustrator's note, bibliography, and further reading. VERDICT A necessary and inspirational book about a little-known light amid a dark period of history, this book should find a home in all libraries.—Carrie Voliva
★ 2022-10-26
An unlikely hero saved the lives of hundreds of children during the Holocaust.
Stelson describes how Jewish Czech children were saved via the Kindertransport during World War II. Beginning in 1938, they were taken via train from their hometown, Prague, to England, where they lived with foster families for several years while war raged in continental Europe. After the war, they returned home to learn most of their parents had perished. Many years later, they also discovered, for the first time, the identity of the self-effacing man who had literally set the wheels in motion by organizing the transports and securing necessary documents, allowing them—a total of 669 children—to leave their war-ravaged country and Nazi brutality behind so that they might live. His name? Nicholas “Nicky” Winton, an Englishman working in Prague in the late ’30s and one of many whose contributions made the Kindertransport possible. Decades later, he was honored by the Czech president and knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to humanity. This searing account is all the more heart-rending because it is collectively narrated by the young people saved by Winton, delivered in the innocent, matter-of-fact voice of a child. The illustrations, rendered in acrylic, colored pencil, and collage, are powerfully poignant and have childlike appeal, capturing readers’ sympathetic attention. A backmatter feature, “Winton’s Children,” notes that five depicted children represent actual young people saved by Winton, who is himself portrayed. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A not-to-be-missed, inspirational book about courage, heart, and the necessity of caring for others. (timeline, more information about the Kindertransport, information on the Yad Vashem’s Children’s Memorial, photos, author’s note, illustrator’s note, source notes, bibliography, further reading) (Informational picture book. 7-11)
