Awards/Selection Lists:
- ALA Notable Books
Author's Website: www.louiseborden.com
http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com
(follow the second link for great lesson plans to coincide with the book)
Brief Summary: This title briefly explores the lives of Hans and Margaret Reyersbach, otherwise known as H.A. and Margaret Rey, the creators of such beloved children's titles as Katy No Pockets and Curious George. The story tells briefly of the German Jewish background of both families, how each studied art, and how each moved separately to Rio de Janiero, where they studied the natural world, worked on their craft and married. Shortly thereafter, a would-be 2 week honeymoon trip to Paris turns into 4 years of living, and a tumultuous journey to escape France together, under suspicion and great odds, as Hitler and the Nazi party invade Poland and France. Thanks to a manuscript about a curious little monkey, smuggled in a bike basket, their lives were saved not once, but twice, as they flee and fight for freedom.
Personal Reaction: I enjoyed this book. Both Borden and Drummond, the illustrator, tell the story in words and pictures as if H.A. and Margaret Rey were writing the story themselves for their readers. Included are photographs of the authors, journals, letters, early works, and period photographs, immersing the reader in the world and minds of the subjects. It has a light and loving tone, focusing on the artists and their love for each other, which makes learning about the danger they were in, and the difficulties of war less traumatic, and scary, while still offering enough information to encourage further exploration, if the reader so desires.
Front/Back Matter: Title page, copyright page, Introduction (Finding the Story), Part I: The Artists, Part II: Escape from Paris, Epilogue (After the Escape), Partial Bibliography of books by the Reys, Picture Credits.
Content Evaluation: While I enjoy the tone, and the partial bibliography of the Reys titles in the back of the book, and appreciate the photo credits, it would have been nice to have seen a reference page for the sources the author used. I know this is uncommon in children's non-fiction, but it is becoming more common in Young Adult non-fiction, of which this title is a part. Otherwise, the illustrations carry the story very well, and make the story just as endearing as the timeless classics the couples published after their escape.
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