Chance: Escape From the Holocaust – An Excerpt of the Latest Book by Uri Shulevitz

Two questions for you.

Question #1: Who won the 1969 Caldecott Medal for The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship?

Did you answer Uri Shulevitz? Of course you did. You are very clever. And now now you must answer my section question:

Question #2: Who is the author/illustrator of the 2020 title Chance: Escape From the Holocaust?

This question is a bit trickier than the first since Chance will not be released in the United States until October or so, but if you are familiar with the picture book How I Learned Geography, released back in 2008, then you may have answered “Uri Shulevitz”. Like that book, Shulevitz’s latest story is autobiographical. Essentially, it details the eight-year journey of how he and his Jewish family escaped from the terrors of Nazism by fleeing Warsaw to the Soviet Union. Here’s a brief encapsulation:

80 years ago, Uri faced a world filled with misery, deprivation, and critical illness with no medications or vaccines available. In those dark times, he discovered drawing was his lifeline. In his most personal story to date, Uri hopes to inspire young readers to find their own lifeline in this moment of national upheaval. 

Today, I offer a very brief selection from the book. This is an excerpt that gives you a bit of a feel for the whole. I thank Cynthia Lliguichuzhca and the team at Macmillan for letting me show it to you today.

On sale October 13th.

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