Counting Down 2021

Whether you are a subscribing reader or found this blog by accident, you may have noted a long and unexplained pause in recent weeks.This was due to a parfait of pressing obligations that   had nothing to do with the holidays: more stress than celebration. These matters will continue to reduce my time for coming weeks, but I miss writing about picture books that have lifted and enlightened me during 2021. I will post thoughts about some outstanding offerings in the next few days in hopes of revving up my reading/reviewing motor to resume a full schedule in the new year. Don't imagine that combining reviews in one post means they have less than my enthusiastic support. I'm just trying to make up for lost time! Enjoy.

Here's a mixed offering of nonfiction picture books that achieve that glorious sweetspot of entertaining, informing, and connecting emotionally with readers of many ages, including the adults who might do the read aloud to a lap audience or to a classroom of kids.

This Very Tree: A Story of 9/11, Resilience, and Regrowth by Sean Rubin is a book already celebrated with review stars and awards whispers, but I can't resist adding my voice to the litany of praise.

This artfully told and illustrated story of a 9/11 survivor tree is only slightly fictionalized, with notes following to point out those details correctly. This is the true account of a tree that basked in the shadows of the twin towers, was then buried under many feet of rubble, and was given a chance to resume whatever form of life it might claim. Relocated to a protective, calm setting, nourished with attention and patience, it was eventually restored to a space in the Twin-Towers Memorial Plaza. 

 

With a subtle dollop of personification and emotional interpretation, this title suits children of any age and that includes adults. Expect this book to garner awards and praise in its release period, and then to retain fans and affection for generations to come. This is an ideal introduction to more expanded understanding of the events surrounding 9/11 for older readers, but it also sets the groundwork for coping with setbacks, struggles, and even disasters in very young audiences. Hope is honored.

Next up, another story from history with HOPE, Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued by Peter Sis. The long view of an amazing Holocaust rescue effort, from present time, is breathtaking and inspiring. But this picture book takes young readers right back to the start of Nicky's story. He grew up in schools and with a family that encouraged curiosity, exploration, and travel. As a young man from England, Nicky toured many European countries and learned about cultures and history along the way, becoming fluent in many languages and becoming an Olympic fencer. In 1938 Nicky was invited to Prague, Czechoslovakia, in the heart of Europe where German Nazi forces were intent on conquering the world and establishing White/Aryan Supremacy. That growing threat would attempt to eliminate every Jewish person in the process and the forces in power followed through on their orchestrated effort that destroyed uncounted lives. 

 

That same year, Vera (from the title) was just ten years old, living a contented life in a village near Prague. When Nicky noted the advance of German troops, the malicious threats and assaults on innocent people, he returned to England to hatch a plan that might assist young people in escaping the assault. At that time, children under seventeen could receive visas to live their country. Before departing, he launched his own mission, to collect photos, names, and passports for as many children as possible, taking those details with him to England. 

At first, he worked alone and then found others to support his work, advertising for sponsoring families and safe homes, leading to trainloads of refugees on the KINDERTRANSPORT, 1938-1940. Thousands eventually escaped and survived, but Nicky is personally credited with 669 children saved. Vera was among them.

It is important to acknowledge the bravery of Vera and her family and all of those others who left or were left behind. They had to separate from the ones they loved the most, knowing they might never see each other again, knowing that a choice was made from desperation and love, knowing that being courageous in departure would ease the pain of their loved ones.

When the iron grip of German forces ended the efforts, Nicky returned to England and spent his very long life doing good, quietly, but not sharing his story with others. He believed that doing good is a choice, an action, not a ticket to fame. By pairing and paralleling the lives of 

Nicky and Vera, with informative but childlike illustrations, side text, and back matter, the lives of a young man and a child feel immediate and present in our lives.

 

And finally, for today, take a look at The Highest Tribute: Thurgood Marshall’s Life, Leadership, and Legacy, written by Kekla Magoon and illustrated by Laura Freeman.

 

Thurgood Marshall has become a (well-deserved) respected name in American history, with ground-breaking leadership and accomplishments in civil rights, the Supreme Court, and social justice. Despite that, this is now an individual or a period in history that merits additional  attention in this offering. This comprehensively written book, with sourced quotations, timeline, and valuable back matter will go a long way in bringing Marshall's life story to young readers. The reality of his early years of injustice became the fuel that fired his career, with events and accomplishments portrayed effectively, making the adult aspects of his life all the more vibrant and admirable.

 

This return to commenting on picture books I love and recommend features a wide span of history, global and arboreal figures, and actions ranging from private to local to national to international. The common threads here are HOPE and resilience, with a belief in better tomorrows. 

 

I'll second that!

 

Stories of Righteous Upstanders: Holocaust Heroes

The two titles featured today offer profiles of very different young men, neither of whom were  Jewish, but both recognized the rightness and the necessity of taking actions in the face of threatening and overwhelming power.  

Quill Tree Publishing, 2021

BARTALI'S BICYCLE: The True Story of Gino Bartali, Italy's Secret Hero is written by Megan Hoyt and Illustrated by Iacopo Bruno. I wrote  a trilogy involving the Holocaust years, taught this topic throughout my career, and now serve as a volunteer Holocaust Outreach Educator. What has always astonished me is the seemingly infinite stories of heroism during that horrific era that are little known. Despite my relatively deep background in the subject, this picture book featured someone entirely new to my information about the subject. 

Gino Bartali was a lifelong biker on his hometown cobbled streets of Florence, Italy when he decided to launch into training as a competitive cyclist. His progress was impressive and in 1938 he won the TOUR de FRANCE. When he lauded as a hero, he protested,"Heroes are those who have suffered. I am just a cyclist."

That year, 1938, marked the shift in political tyranny in Germany and Italy from carefully orchestrated and oppressive laws against Jewish people to outright attacks, invasions, and concentration/work camps, leading to the death camps and intentional murders of more than six million Jews and millions of others, too. The story of his heroic, risk-taking efforts to save lives of Jewish friends and strangers in the following years involved using his bike-riding identity and skill to deliver secret documents, exchange messages, communicate information needed for escapes, and even hide Jewish friends in his own home. 

Once the war ended, he avoided attention to his role, saying, "Good is something you do, not something you talk about." Over time, though, his heroic and humane choices were revealed and now his story is available to young readers. The vibrant and action-packed illustrations make a dramatic story even more compelling, with tension rising throughout. A timeline on back pages indicates other markers before and after his resistance life as well as some highlight dates/events during the war years. I'll be using this book in my outreach work and have recommended it to many others, adults and kids alike. 

Norton Young Readers, 2021

NICKY and VERA: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued is written and illustrated by Peter Sis. In this case the author/illustrator is world-renowned, and the featured Holocaust hero has gained considerable attention in recent decades. After his war efforts, he, like Bartali, never spoke of his rescue efforts. Only as the children he saved grew to adulthood and shared their individual stories did some investigative efforts reveal the man at the center of saving so many lives. 

The long view, from present time, is breathtaking and inspiring. But this picture book takes young readers right back to the start of his story. Nicky grew up in schools and with a family that encouraged curiosity, exploration, and travel. As a young man from England Nicky toured many European countries and learned about cultures and history along the way, becoming  fluent in many languages and an Olympic fencer.  In the same pivotal year as Bartoli's Tour De France, Nicky was invited to Prague, Czechoslovakia, in the heart of Europe where German Nazi forces were intent on conquering the world and establishing White/Aryan Supremacy. That growing threat would attempt to eliminate every Jewish person in the process, and followed through on their orchestrated effort that destroyed uncounted lives. 

That same year, Vera (from the title) was just ten years old, living a contented life in a village near Prague. When Nicky noted the advance of German troops, the malicious threats and assaults on innocent people, he returned to England to hatch a plan that might assist young people in escaping the assault. At that time, children under seventeen could receive visas to live their country. Before departing, he launched his own mission, to collect photos, names, and passports for as many children as possible, taking those details with him to England. 

At first, he worked alone and then found others to support his work, advertising for sponsoring families and safe homes, leading to trainloads of refugees on the KINDERTRANSPORT, 1938-1940.  Thousands eventually escaped and survived, but Nicky is personally credited with 669 children saved. Vera was among them.

It is important to acknowledge the bravery of Vera and her family and all of those others who left or were left behind. They had to separate from the ones they loved the most, knowing they might never see each other again, knowing that a choice was made from desperation and love, knowing that being courageous in departure would ease the pain of the others. 

When the iron grip of German forces ended the efforts, Nicky returned to England and spent his very long life doing good, quietly, but not sharing his story with others. He, like Bartali, believed that doing good is a choice, an action, not a ticket to fame. By pairing and paralleling the lives of 

Nicky and Vera, with informative but childlike illustrations, side text, and back matter, the lives of a young man and a child feel immediate and present in our lives.

Nicholas Winton is a widely recognized name in Holocaust history now, and you can learn more by viewing a 60 Minutes segment on Youtube, HERE (bring tissues).Watching it may be the best fifteen minutes you'll spend this year. You can see that he, too, was a young man at the time, barely ten to fifteen years older than the children whose lives he saved. 

Here's an image of Nicky with some of his rescued "children".

These two heroes are important subjects across time and at any time of year, but it is thrilling to share them here, together, among other outstanding nonfiction elementary nominees for this year's CYBILS AWARDS. I hope you will make time to read these, to learn more about their stories, and to stay tuned for reviews of even more wonderful nominees as nonfiction November ticks away.

More Recent Releases of Note

Some books defy categorization. They appear to be meant for children, but they find and burrow into the hearts of adults, holding a place bordering on sacred. Some feel that way about THE VELVETEEN RABBIT, THE GIVING TREE, and THE LITTLE PRINCE. 

No one in their right might would try to "mess around" with titles like these, right? 
Take a look at this remarkable approach to that very challenge in THE PILOT AND THE LITTLE PRINCE, by author/illustrator PETER SIS.
Leave it to Peter Sis to take an iconic, ethereal story, one that holds a mythic place in many minds. He manages to capture that essence within the facts of the author's life. The images, book design, moods and tones of this book merit the same careful reading and reflection that we give to "The Little Prince". 
Adults who love it may struggle with the tiny, delicate side notes, and may long for more detailed author notes, but young readers won't mind a bit. The varied text styles, gossamer illustrations, colors, and moods will be savored by young readers, even those so young that the biographic content is beyond their understanding. Don't miss it.

Beach Lane Books, 2014

Now, back down to earth with SOME BUGS, written by Angela DiTerlizzi and illustrated by Brendan Wenzel. 

Fantastic in every way- bug-lovers and bug-yuck-ers alike will adore this book. The colorful, expressive, layered, and slightly wacky illustrations are the perfect foil to the sleek, slippery, syncopated rhyming verses. Each line suggests simple facts, but relates to complex information about a single species or a family of insects which can be further researched and explored. The ultimate surprise, revealed on the final double spread, is that these nearly cartoonish critters are scientifically accurate in detail and relative size. Consider using this as mentor text for poetry writing with non-fiction themes, word choice for specific verbs, and as an example of alternate reporting on research topics. What are some other titles you can think of that work on multiple levels? The best should, of course, entertain and appeal, but offer complex layers for a variety of readers (of many ages). Share your favorites in the comments.