Francesco Tirelli's Ice Cream Shop

"Italian-born Francesco Tirelli loves the ice cream Uncle Carlo sells from his pushcart. After moving to Budapest, Francesco opens his own shop and befriends Peter, a young Jewish boy. When life becomes difficult for Jews during WWII, Francesco secretly offers his shuttered-for-winter ice cream shop as a hiding place for Peter and his family. The daughter-in-law of the real-life Peter, Meir offers a succinct account (smoothly translated from the Hebrew) of Tirelli's efforts, which led to his 2008 recognition as Righteous Among the Nations (non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust). Befitting a picture book that will attract mostly younger readers, Meir is vague about the specifics that Peter and others endured, emphasizing instead the makeshift Hanukkah the group fashioned from an empty candy mold. Albert's upbeat illustrations feature mostly cheery blues and reds; the spreads depicting hiding are dark but not alarming. Only the subtle placement of empty shoes serves to remind of those who perished. A gentle, yet heroic addition to Holocaust literature."— Kay Weisman, Booklist