Stars of the Night: An Interview with Author Caren Stelson

On the eve of World War II, the Czech Kindertransport rescued 669 children from Nazi persecution. The new nonfiction picture book Stars of the Night: The Courageous Children of the Czech Kindertransport by Caren Stelson and illustrated by Selina Alko sensitively tells the powerful true story of the children’s journey to safety from their collective perspective.

Read on to learn about author Caren Stelson’s research, creative decisions for the voice of the book, and her special trip to meet Nick Winton, son of Nicholas Winton.

By Taylor Elgarten, Kar-Ben

Today we welcome Barbara Lowell to the blog to share her inspiration and hopes for her new picture book Behind the Bookcase: Miep Gies, Anne Frank, and the Hiding Place in which the story of Anne Frank is retold from the unique perspective of her protector, Miep Geis.

In a recent piece, “How to Talk to Your Kids About Charlottesville,” New York Times children’s book editor Maria Russo featured Jennifer Elvgren’s The Whispering Town among “children’s books about people — including kids — who helped in the fight against Nazis and against racism here in the U.S.”

Based on a true story, The Whispering Town tells the story of a brave child named Anett in Nazi-occupied Denmark. Anett and her parents hide a Jewish boy, Carl, and his mother in their cellar until a fishing boat can take them across the water to safety in neutral Sweden.