Francesco Tirelli's Ice Cream Shop

August 1, 2019

Gr 3-6-Ice cream connects generations and cultures in this nostalgic story of harboring Jewish people during the Holocaust. Francesco Tirelli loved visiting his uncle's ice cream shop in Italy so much that when he grew up and moved to Budapest, he opened his own gelato shop. Though critics claimed he would never be able to sell ice cream like his uncle, Tirelli established a thriving business in the center of town, where all enjoyed his frozen treats. During World War II, he turned his shop into a shelter to hide his Jewish neighbors. The business became a safe place where the Jewish residents of Budapest could remain out of sight and even celebrate their traditions, including Hanukkah. After the war was over, one of the small children hidden in the shop, Peter Mayer, grew up to open an ice cream shop in Israel. In the epilogue, it's revealed that the author is the daughter-in-law of Mayer. VERDICT With lighthearted illustrations and a hopeful story, this picture book translated from Hebrew offers an additional perspective on the events of World War II and the Holocaust.-Jamie Jensen, Wayne Cox Elementary School, Roanoke, TX

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2019
A gelato shop in Hungary becomes a hideout for Jews during World War II. Francesco, a young Italian boy, falls in love with ice cream in every flavor. When he moves to Hungary, to the city of Budapest, there is none to be found as tasty as what he loved as a child, so he opens Francesco's Gelato. No Hungarian culinary specialties are on this menu. One day he encounters a young boy named Peter who shares his passion. After some years pass, the German war against Jews comes to Hungary, and Peter and his family are in danger. Francesco, who has closed his shop, now uses it to hide them and some other Jews. And in the midst of the darkness, Peter finds a special way to celebrate Hanukkah, the festival of lights. The author's note informs readers that, years later, Peter (known as Yitzchak in Israel) petitioned Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust museum, to honor Francesco as one of the Righteous Among the Nations. It is Peter's daughter-in-law who has written this simple but moving tale of quiet heroism. The delicately rendered illustrations vary from the sunny vistas of Italy to the darkness of the hideout. Faces are expressive, and the scene with hidden families around the hanukkiah (originally molds for chocolate) is especially moving. An accessible and memorable account for young readers of one man's humanity during the Holocaust. (Picture book. 7-10)

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July 1, 2019
Grades 2-5 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 Hanukiah 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.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

August 5, 2019
An ice cream shop becomes a WWII safe haven in this family story turned picture book. In Italy, Francesco Tirelli (Meir’s father-in-law) stops at his uncle’s ice cream cart every day, even when his mother tells him “Enough!” And he remains devoted to gelateria, eventually opening a successful ice cream shop in Budapest, where he meets a Jewish boy named Peter who shares his affection for the treat. After Nazi forces invade Hungary, Tirelli offers his seasonally closed store as a hiding place for Peter’s family and others, who gather together in the back room, light Hanukkah candles, and pray for the war’s end. Though the picture book format seems young for readers within the intended age range, Albert’s mood-shifting illustrations and the moving anecdote offer an accessible take on a terrible chapter of history. Ages 8–12.