The Secret of the Village Fool

Brief Description: Anton, laughed at and called a fool in his small village, proves himself a hero when he hides a Jewish family from the Nazis during the Holocaust. Publisher Marketing: Milek and his brother Munio live in a sleepy village in Poland, where nothing exciting seems to happen. They reluctantly do as their mother asks when she asks them to visit their neighbor Anton, knowing that the rest of the village laughs at him because of his strange habits of speaking to animals and only eating vegetables. Things change quickly when war comes to their town in the form of Nazi soldiers searching for Jewish families like that of Milek and Munio. Anton refuses to tell the soldiers where to find them, and then goes so far as to hide the family in his own home, putting his life at risk without a thought. Based on a true story. Review Citations:

School Library Journal 09/01/2012 pg. 169 (EAN 9781926920757, Library Binding)

Publishers Weekly 09/17/2012 (EAN 9781926920757, Library Binding)

Kirkus Reviews 09/15/2012 (EAN 9781926920757, Library Binding)

Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2013 pg. 180 (EAN 9781926920757, Library Binding)

Contributor Bio:  Upjohn, Rebecca Rebecca Upjohn has worked herding sheep, photographing buildings, selling books, releasing trees and producing a short film. She and her husband live with their two teenage sons and a dog in Toronto. Rebecca's first book, Lily and the Paper Man (Second Story Press), was published in 2007. Visit www.rebeccaupjohn.com for more information. Contributor Bio:  Benoit, Renne Renne Benoit has been drawing pictures since she could hold a crayon. She works out of her home studio in St. Thomas, Ontario, where she lives with her husband, their daughter and their dog. Her recent work includes Goodbye to Griffith Street, which won the Christie-Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize in 2005. Some of her favorite things are thunderstorms, fireflies, practical jokes, and the first snow. You can visit her website at www.rennebenoit.ca.