Erin McGuire on The Spy in the Museum: How Rose Valland Saved Art from the Nazis

In this post, we feature Erin McGuire, who has contributed illustrations to award-winning titles including Rollin’ on Down the Line: Lady Bird Johnson’s 1964 Whistle-Stop Tour for Civil Rights. You can hear her speak about the first title that she has both written and illustrated: the informational picture book, The Spy in the Museum: How Rose Valland Saved Art from the Nazis. You can also try her “invitation to imagine” activities and find other resources to explore. Thanks for joining us, and let us know what you think in the comments below!

Erin McGuire and the cover of The Spy in the Museum

The Spy in the Museum: How Rose Valland Saved Art from the Nazis

Written and illustrated by Erin McGuire
Published by Beach Lane Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster
Release date: September 16, 2025

Rose Valland loved art. When the Nazis invaded Paris during World War II and took over her beloved museum, Rose could have fled. But who would save the artwork? So, Rose remained and saw how she was underestimated by the soldiers for being a quiet, unassuming woman. She knew it was the time to act. And Rose had a secret weapon: she could speak German. She listened, kept track of all the stolen art, and saved what she could. Rose became a spy. And in the end, she saved thousands of works of art. This riveting picture-book biography tells the true story of one individual’s acts of extraordinary courage and the repercussions of that bravery that continues into the present day.

An interior spread from The Spy in the Museum showing Rose Valand standing in front of a wall of framed artworks.

An interior image from The Spy in the Museum showing an aerial scene of Paris at sunset.

Explore The Spy in the Museum: How Rose Valland Saved Art from the Nazis

Listen to Erin McGuire talking with TeachingBooks about creating The Spy in the Museum: How Rose Valland Saved Art from the Nazis. You can click the player below or experience the recording on TeachingBooks, where you can read along as you listen, and also translate the text to another language.

Invitation to Imagine

TeachingBooks asks each author or illustrator on our Virtual Book Tour to share a writing prompt, a drawing exercise, or just an interesting question to spark curiosity and creativity. Enjoy the following activities contributed by Erin McGuire.

Imagination Activity with Erin McGuire

Modern art tossed aside rules, traditions, and expectations, allowing art to run wild and free. In this spirit, draw your favorite animal, but break the rules. What if the colors were all different? What if the animal was ten times bigger than normal? Or ten times smaller? Can you give them wings or horns or something else unexpected?

Finish This Sentence . . . with Erin McGuire

As part of our Virtual Book Tour, TeachingBooks asks authors and illustrators to complete short sentence prompts. Enjoy the response from Erin McGuire.

“A surprising thing that helps me work is…”

A surprising thing that helps me work is cleaning my studio! I love to give my studio a deep clean and sit down to my drawing table with a clean slate. Unfortunately, it gets very messy again very quickly!

“I hope that my book encourages young readers to think about…”

I hope that my book encourages young readers to think about art and censorship. During World War II, the Germans tried to destroy anything that introduced new ideas or celebrated other cultures. They wanted to force people to think a certain way, and by controlling the culture, they made it easier to be cruel to people who were different. What art is being oppressed today, and why?

Thank you!

To wrap up this Virtual Book Tour, we thank Erin McGuire for signing a book for all of us.

The title page from The Spy in the Museum showing the stone columns and exterior view of the museum where Rose Valand works. Around her signature, Erin McGuire has drawn an ornate picture frame.

More Connections to Erin McGuire and The Spy in the Museum: How Rose Valland Saved Art from the Nazis

Explore all of the titles featured in the TeachingBooks Virtual Book Tour: one link with author interviews, lesson plans, activities, and more!

All text and images are courtesy of Erin McGuire and Simon & Schuster and may not be used without expressed written consent.