(1) K-3 Illustrated by Selina Alko. In this quiet but immediate nonfiction picture book, Stelson (A Bowl Full of Peace, rev. 7/20) tells the story of the 669 children evacuated from Czechoslovakia via the Kindertransport in the late 1930s, to escape the Nazis, with the help of Nicholas Winton. The first-person-plural narration mainly sticks to the collective point of view of the children, letting readers experience their bewilderment first at the early signs of war and persecution and then at the unexplained "holiday to England" without their parents; occasional "none of us knew" asides hint at the help Winton was providing behind the scenes. As time passes and the war ends, the narrators find out (along with readers) that most of their parents have perished during the Holocaust, and they later learn Winton's identity. The in-the-moment text combines with emotional acrylic, colored-pencil, and collage illustrations in Alko's (I Is for Immigrants, rev. 9/21) signature style to create a dreamlike atmosphere. Extensive back matter provides further context; a note explains that five of the children in the illustrations represent specific individuals among "Winton's children," and a quote from the mother of one of them, Vera Gissing, inspired the titular star motif. Pair with Sis's Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued (rev. 5/21).

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2023

(1) 4-6 Illustrated by Akira Kusaka. Each evening Sachiko's family gathers around their table in Nagasaki, Japan. Before the Second World War, Grandmother's bowl is the centerpiece of every meal, filled with squid, eel, octopus, and udon noodles; as the war rages on, it contains only wheat balls in boiled water. Sachiko is just six years old when the atomic bomb drops. She survives the bomb, which kills three of her ­brothers--one immediately, and two later from radiation exposure. Surviving family returns to Nagasaki two years later to find their house in ashes but Grandmother's bowl unharmed--a symbol of survival. Stelson (Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor's Story, rev. 1/17) builds her debut picture book around this one element of Sachiko's story. Kusaka's illustrations effectively focus on Sachiko's family and the ways they used the bowl to create an orderly family life even in the midst of, and after, a devastating war. The ceramic bowl is the focal point of many of the uncluttered digital paintings: placed in the center of a square table, surrounded with formally arranged chopsticks and dishes. This image is repeated through the book, providing the reader with breathing space amidst dark images of war. The bomb itself is powerfully shown as a ball of fire in a series of spreads, with red light glowing through heavy black clouds. The third-person narrative's calm, direct tone and the hopeful ending make this difficult, sophisticated material manageable for older elementary-school and middle-school children. An author's note includes additional information about Japan during the war, international efforts to abolish nuclear weapons, and a brief bibliography.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2020

(2) YA Stelson's sensitively crafted account spans fifty years of Nagasaki atomic bomb survivor Sachiko Yasui's life, starting in 1945 when she was six years old and ending in 1995, when she first spoke publicly about her experiences. Her tragic tale is full of terror and despair, but hope and peace also loom large. Interspersed with ten brief, informative historical essays and illustrated with numerous photos. Reading list, websites. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2017