Save one life, save the world
This book begins in Czechoslovakia 1938. The children are enjoying life in their city of Prague - skating and drinking hot cocoa with whipped cream.
"All through the year, we played with our friends, went to school with them, laughed and told our secrets to them. We were Jewish. They were often not. It didn't matter to us."
But in November of 1938 life changed. In Germany dreadful things were happening to Jewish citizens and so many refugees arrived in Prague. The children in Prague, kids who had lived there their whole lives were subjected to name calling and bullying. The parents had to make the heart wrenching decision to send their children away to England.
"There will be times when you'll feel lonely and homesick. Let the stars of the night and the sun of the day be the messenger of our thoughts and love."
These children were rescued by Nicholas Winton. He saved 669 children but he never talked about this until decades after the war his wife found a suitcase filled with documents about these children. In 1988 Nicholas Winton was invited to appear on a television show. If you watch this you will see all adults in the audience - these are the children he saved.
Stars of the Night has extensive back notes, a timeline, source list, bibliography, author and illustrator notes and a list of books for further reading.
Walker Books blurb: The incredible true story of the rescue of 669 children from Czechoslovakia on the eve of World War II.
"When we were seven or eight or nine or ten, our home was the old city of Prague."
So begins this powerful story of the children who were rescued from Czechoslovakia on the eve of World War II as Hitler's campaign of hatred toward Jews and political dissidents took hold. Told from the collective perspective of the children, the narrative starts in 1938 and follows them as they journey to foster families in England for the duration of the war, return to Prague afterward in an unsuccessful search for their parents, and eventually connect with Nicholas Winton, a British former stockbroker who was instrumental in bringing them to safety.
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. Kirkus Star review
Here are some very detailed teachers notes with excellent background reading ideas.
This video will give you a look at the illustrations in this book.
Awards for Stars of the Night:
- ALA Notable Children’s Book
- Bank Street College Best Children’s Books of the Year, Outstanding Merit
- ILA Honor Award for Social Justice
- National Jewish Book Award Finalist
- New York Public Library Best Books for Kids
- Notable Books for a Global Society List Selection
- Orbis Pictus Recommended Book
- School Library Journal Best Book
- Texas Bluebonnet Master list
Photo of Nicholas Winton who died in 2015
Kindertransport Memorial at Liverpool Street Station, London
Here is a fascinating interview of the author and illustrator with Roger Sutton at The Horn Book. And another with The Lerner Blog. And on the author webpage.
Check out my two previous books which explore the topic of the Kindertransport:
Companion book:
And just today I picked up this book - the cover looked interesting then I read the blurb - and saw the word Kindertransport.
No comments:
Post a Comment