Stars of the Night: The Courageous Children of the Czech Kindertransport. Written by Caren Stelson and illustrated by Selina Alko. Carolrhoda Books, 2023. $26.99 ages 7 and up

 

"The train lurched forward. 

We stuck out our hands and waved. 

Our parents waved back. 

The train clattered faster. We settled into
worn leather seats and looked around. 
The entire train car was filled with 
children. It didn't matter where 
we were from. We were all 
refugees."

Beginning in 1938, many Czech children from Jewish families were saved by riding the Kindertransport from Prague to England. Once they arrived, they lived with British foster families until the conflict ended. When they were allowed to return home years later, they found that many of their families had perished. 

669 children were saved ... all of them through the courage and hard work of a man named Nicholas Winton. Nicky quietly went about doing the work that organized those trains, and making sure the children had necessary forms to assure their safe passage. The children who escaped the Nazi atrocities did not know his name until many years later . Thankfully, after decades, he was honored by the Czech president and knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his courage and humanity. 

The narration for this heartfelt book is written in the voices of the children saved. Personal and candid, they talk about their life before the war, about the decisions made by their parents to send them to safety, the terror of being stopped and inspected by German police, and their arrival in London. They were almost adults when they returned home to discover the awful truth. 

"Fifty years passed. 

We grew up. We made new homes. We started new jobs.
We found hope and courage. We had children. We had 
grandchildren. We whispered to the stars of the night
and the sun of the day our gratitude for being alive. 

Still, we did not know the name of the man who saved 
us - until one day."

They were invited to meet him after so much time; each one filled with gratitude for 'the man who wanted to save children.' 

A timeline for the Kindertransport movement is appended. As well, there is further information about a few of the children he saved, an author's note, an illustrator's note, source notes, a selected bibliography, and recommended reading for further learning. 

"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."