Bartali's Bicycle: The True Story of Gino Bartali, Italy's Secret Hero
by Megan Hoyt (Author) Iacopo Bruno (Illustrator)
Author Megan Hoyt and illustrator Iacopo Bruno bring to light the inspiring, true story of Gino Bartali, a beloved Italian cyclist and secret champion in the fight for Jewish lives during World War II.
Gino Bartali pedaled across Italy for years, winning one cycling race after another, including the 1938 Tour de France. Gino became an international sports hero! But the next year, World War II began, and it changed everything. Soldiers marched into Italy. Tanks rolled down the cobbled streets of Florence. And powerful leaders declared that Jewish people should be arrested.
To the entire world, Gino Bartali was merely a champion cyclist. But Gino's greatest achievement was something he never told a soul--that he secretly worked with the Italian resistance to save hundreds of Jewish men, women, and children, and others, from certain death, using the one thing no authority would question: his bicycle.
This compelling nonfiction picture book for elementary-age readers offers a unique perspective on World War II history. It's a strong choice for units on the war and for biographies of lesser-known heroes in history and in sports.
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Publishers Weekly
Hoyt relays the extraordinary actions of Gino Bartali, an Italian cyclist who won the 1938 Tour de France and went on to save around 800 Jewish people and 50 English soldiers during the Nazi occupation of Italy. Several of Bartoli's pivotal efforts are illuminated, including his delivering fake identity packets to families across Italy and using his cycling fame to shield people as they boarded trains to freedom. Hoyt's prose is atmospheric ("Gino pedaled up steep mountains dotted with alpine villages"), and Bruno's bold, poster-style illustrations, rendered in pencil with digital color, prove thoroughly immersive. An engrossing look at a humble man whose efforts benefited many. Back matter includes a timeline, a note from Bartali's granddaughter, an author's note, and a bibliography. Ages 4-8. (Feb.)
Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
JNF038060 - Juvenile Nonfiction | People & Places | Europe
JNF025090 - Juvenile Nonfiction | History | Holocaust
Cyclists
Bartali, Gino
