Thursday, October 1, 2020

Francesco Tirelli's Ice Cream Shop by Tamar Meir

 

Francesco Tirelli's Ice Cream Shop is a charming (albeit sobering) true story about how an ice cream shop saved lives during WWII. Francesco's love of ice cream was initially fostered in his uncle's Italian shop. When Francesco grew up and moved to Hungary, he made the bold move of opening a shop of Italian ice cream (there is a fun little rhyme about ice cream flavors that gets repeated throughout the book).

Francesco's love of ice cream overflowed to a boy named Peter. When his family needed a safe place to hide during the war, Francesco came up with a brilliant plan that saved not only Peter but many others. When Peter grew up, he moved to Israel where he enjoyed telling his grandchildren about his time in that ice cream shop.  This remarkable story was written by his granddaughter, Tamar Meir. I highy recommend this book; it provides an age-appropriate way to introduce the reality of WWII to elementary-age children.

The audiobook was a very entertaining listen, but I would suggest following along with the physical book so children can delight in the engaging illustrations (the cover is a marvelous preview of the sweet things inside!).  

Disclaimer: I received a free digital audiobook of Franceso Tirelli's Ice Cream Shop from NetGalley for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

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