In September 1939, as German bombs fell on Warsaw, 4-year-old Yuri flees with his parents to Soviet-occupied Bialystok. Deemed enemies of the Soviet Union, they are sent to a labor camp in the freezing northern wilderness, only to be sent south to Turkestan in Central Asia when the Germans invade. How through luck, perseverance, his love of drawing, and his mother’s storytelling Uri survives the hardship of war and anti-Semitism, eventually arriving in Paris as a teen, makes for an unforgettable, riveting autobiography of this award-winning author/artist. Your young readers will be captivated by this story of survival in the midst of war and depravation as they discover the power of story to lift us up and light our way. Illustrated with drawings by the author and a few surviving personal photos. Ages 8 and up. 336pp.