Overview

A poignant and ultimately uplifting picture book based on a true story of an escape from a convoy to Auschwitz. “Get through one day and then on to the next. One day at a time. One day after another.” Eugène Handschuh was a Jewish member of the Resistance in occupied Paris. After he was captured by the Nazis, he was placed on a convoy to Auschwitz. Against all the odds, with the help of strangers and fellow members of the Resistance, Eugène and his father escaped the convoy and survived – when so many others did not. Former Children's Laureate Michael Rosen was inspired to tell this story after discovering his father’s uncle and aunt were on the same convoy as Eugène, but never returned. With powerful illustrations from Benjamin Phillips, whose work has been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Illustration, this sensitive true-story picture book reminds us of the best of people, in the worst of times.

Full Product Details

9781529532586

Table of Contents

Reviews

A perfectly pitched Holocaust story […] These are not easy subjects to tackle in a book aimed at readers as young as six. But Benjamin Phillips’s illustrations cleverly evoke the privations of life in the camp, without focusing on the brutality. The text is similarly careful, with much of the emphasis on the internal […] there is no anger, and no grand prose. Instead, the emphasis is on the human capacity for renewal. * The Telegraph * [] a powerful piece of art where words and pictures work together to inform readers aged 7+ about the horrors of the Holocaust. * Editor’s Choice, The Bookseller * [This] tells the story with a freedom in the drawing but a precise sense of place – a Parisian street, with its characteristic architecture, shutters, arched doorways, shop fronts, cobbles and gas lamp (an ironic, ominous detail?)[…] Phillips conveys the gravity of this moment by such small hints, and what is not shown […] It is an illustration which, in its quietness and detail, demonstrates the banality of evil. Using understatement in images can be a very effective way of making fear tolerable – as [this] demonstrates. * Books for Keeps, Nicolette Jones * a wonderfully powerful story to highlight the courage, resilience and survival instincts of Jews during the second world war. Michael Rosen has waved his magical touch at the story with carefully chosen words to allow children of all ages to access the text [...] skilful illustrations by Benjamin Phillips add additional interest and detail to add depth to the text. The muted colour palette carefully ensures that the nature of the subject matter is respected at all times. * Reading Zone *

Author Information

Michael Rosen is one of the most popular authors for children; his bestselling titles published by Walker Books include We're Going on a Bear Hunt, A Great Big Cuddle and Michael Rosen’s Sad Book. A popular radio broadcaster, distinguished critic and academic, and multi-award-winning poet, Michael was appointed the Children's Laureate from 2007 to 2009, and is now Professor of Children's Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London. Benjamin Phillips is an illustrator and artist whose artwork for the graphic novel Alte Zachen won him the 2024 V&A Illustration for Children Award and was shortlisted for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration 2023. In the same year he was a featured artist at Bologna's Children Bookfair and in 2022 he was a selected artist for Brewers Towner International Prize. He lives in Hastings.

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