One of the most beautiful stories of courage I have read about one of the few courageous souls who helped Jews during WWII. Diplomat Aristides de Sousa Mendes was an amazing hero represented in this illustrated book describing his intense journey of assisting Jewish refugees escape the Nazis. His story is one of the many yet few we get to hear more about 85+years since the start of WWII and I will say they did an amazing job creating this book to represent and illustrate his story perfectly. The art was colorful and amazing despite being a sad story in some parts. The writing was straightforward and amazing, and author Elizabeth Brown did an awesome job with all the information provided through thorough research cited.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book so much, and I cannot wait until it is published so I can share this with my children someday.

This book is so amazingly wonderful! The story covers the incredible acts of defiance by Aristides de Sousa Mendes during World War Two; saving thousands of people. This real-life superhero rebelled against orders telling him that he should ignore those who needed his help. He did everything in his power to help those fleeing the Nazis and the holocaust, even though it involved risk to his family, self, and livelihood.
The illustrations literally flow from one scene to the next. The simple color palette manages to look incredibly complex and adds depth to the story and characters. The story is told so wonderfully that you feel like you are right there with Aristides de Sousa Mendes and helping to save lives.
In present times, this story is possibly more important now, than at any time since Aristides de Sousa Mendes’ fate-changing acts took place. Inspiring and heart-warming; this tale encourages all who read it to resist tyranny and violence any way possible, to help anyone they can.

This title is a thoughtful, engrossing addition to existing children's literature on WWII, one that appeals to enthusiasts and those who enjoy learning about underrated figures. I'd not heard of Aristedes de Sousa Manuel before and have now found someone interesting to conduct research on; the more that I find out about him and his family so far, the more I like him. I liked the author's depiction of the ways in which one person, regardless of their role or position, can make a difference simply by doing the right thing and using the tools at their disposal. De Sousa's tireless work up until the (literal) last second to rescue as many people is inspiring.

The distinctive illustrations flow from page to page as a means of connecting the story, with a shifting color palette to represent the threat of danger as it creeps closer from farther away in Europe, in addition to representing de Sousa's feelings of worry. The detailed maps throughout the text are also welcome as they show just how interconnected all of the events were.

The one caveat I have is that the book does seem somewhat unfinished. The notes and bibliography at the end were well-researched. Nevertheless I would have liked to see, in illustration form, what happened to de Sousa when he died and the efforts of his family to restore his name, even of the book went on a little longer. As it stands now the book ends on a slightly uplifting note, only to dip back down again when reading the author's note. Readers will already see how de Sousa and his family were punished by the Portuguese government for refusing to leave people in danger; which was true to life and which underscores that doing what is right doesn't always come without a cost. But I think that viewing the further struggles and ultimate vindication would make a compelling read for children; one that is realistic while also showing the continuing work long after people have passed on.


This book also provides a good discussion opportunity for older children on the role of neutral countries and territories during WWII; what neutrality means, why these countries chose to be so, how that position may have caused complications and how the country's peoples felt about that position. As a child I was always interested in what the other places who weren't directly involved in the conflict were doing, so this will definitely appeal to any similarly curious readers. The book also provides some more insight on Portuguese history as a whole, which is a welcome addition to children's nonfiction literature.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Chronicle Books, for this DRC in exchange for a fair and honest review. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

The World Entire tells the remarkable true story of Aristides de Sousa Mendes who, against the orders of his government, issued thousands of visas to refugees fleeing the Nazis during World War II. In a narrative which skillfully balances Sousa Mendes' internal struggle as he decides to defy the instructions of his leaders with the larger picture of Nazi occupation and its movement through Europe.

This is a fairly serious and dense text which includes a high level of historical detail about the movement of refugees through Europe during the war and the roles of politicians and diplomats to help or hinder that movement. It is saved from being to bogged down in this factual information by a truly masterful art style, the colorful, sketchbook-like quality of which lends brightness and life to the story. The colorful images depicting Portugal and the refugee families contrasts clearly with the greys and blues used to illustrate the Nazi forces on the move.

While I definitely feel that this book skews towards an older audience (it would be a great companion to WWII studies in middle or even high school), I would not be concerned about it being too graphic, gloomy, or gruesome. The threat of Nazi occupation and concentration camps are real and mentioned explicitly, but in the end the core of the story is the focus on the value of all human life and the heroic effort of Sousa Mendes to save as much of it as he can, which in the end, leads to thousands of lives saved.

Included in the back matter of the text is an author's note providing more historical context, a timeline, and a robust list of primary and secondary sources.

While the message is wonderful, the artwork in this book is beautiful and appealing to readers and listeners both. The writing is accessible and suitable even for very young children, with a more in depth summary of the acts of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, and the effects on his life.

I had not previously know anything about Aristedes de Sousa Mendes; in fact, I can’t even recall reading his name anywhere. So I was glad to read an early copy of *The World Entire* to learn about him.

The message in *The World Entire* is a vitally important one, and models to children the significance of caring for our fellow citizens and helping those in dire need of it. Always (unfortunately) timely, the urgency of this message is (unfortunately) just as relevant today as it was.

The art in the book is beautiful; I’m not even sure how to put into words my love of the art; I wound up following the illustrator, Melissa Castrillon on instagram because her artwork in this wonderful story about a remarkable man in wretched times.

Recommended for ages 3 - 100+.



Thank you to Chronicle Books and NetGalley for the DRC

I had no idea who this person was or how many people he saved until I read this book. I will definitely get this book for my Holocaust collection. It was the perfect picture book for the topic.

This is an important story with beautiful illustrations, perfectly written for young audiences. Without going into the horrors of the Holocaust, this book tells the importance of allowing refugees safe passage and the duty we have to look after one another.

It would work well as a read-aloud in a history or social studies class to introduce an important figure in history. It also serves as an engaging discussion about the moral dilemma that Aristedes had. How would any one of us reacted at that time? How would we react to current immigration requests? What information do we need to make the right decisions?

I highly recommend this book for schools and libraries.