In December 1938, a young Englishman canceled a ski vacation and went instead to Prague to help the hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Nazis who were crowded into the city. Setting up a makeshift headquarters in his hotel room, Nicholas Winton took names and photographs from parents desperate to get their children out of danger. He raised money, found foster families in England, arranged travel and visas, and, when necessary, bribed officials and forged documents. In the frantic spring and summer of 1939, as the Nazi shadow fell over Europe, he organized the transportation of almost 700 children to safety.
Then, when the war began and no more children could be rescued, he put away his records and told no one. It was only fifty years later that a chance discovery and a famous television appearance brought Winton's actions to light.
Peter Sís weaves Winton's experiences and the story of one of the children he saved, Vera Gissing. Nicky & Vera is a tale of decency, action, and courage told in luminous, poetic images by an internationally renowned artist.
Show moreIn December 1938, a young Englishman canceled a ski vacation and went instead to Prague to help the hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Nazis who were crowded into the city. Setting up a makeshift headquarters in his hotel room, Nicholas Winton took names and photographs from parents desperate to get their children out of danger. He raised money, found foster families in England, arranged travel and visas, and, when necessary, bribed officials and forged documents. In the frantic spring and summer of 1939, as the Nazi shadow fell over Europe, he organized the transportation of almost 700 children to safety.
Then, when the war began and no more children could be rescued, he put away his records and told no one. It was only fifty years later that a chance discovery and a famous television appearance brought Winton's actions to light.
Peter Sís weaves Winton's experiences and the story of one of the children he saved, Vera Gissing. Nicky & Vera is a tale of decency, action, and courage told in luminous, poetic images by an internationally renowned artist.
Show morePeter Sís has received the Robert F. Sibert Medal, three Caldecott Honors, and a Sydney Taylor Honor. He was the first children’s book creator to receive a MacArthur Fellowship, and won the 2012 Hans Christian Andersen Award. He lives in Hudson Valley, New York.
"In this beautiful tribute by Peter Sis, we hear the story of
Winton, a former banker and Olympic fencer, and Vera, one of the
Czech children he saved - and was eventually reunited with. A
beautiful story told in stunning pictures and words."
*Alex O'Connell, Best Children's Books for Summer 2021 - The Sunday
Times*
"A story that deserves to be told, and in Peter Sís it’s found the
perfect storyteller and illustrator. I read it with fascination and
admiration for a man of great goodness and modesty."
*Philip Pullman, author of His Dark Materials*
"The latest in Sis’s series of picture-book biographies tells the
story behind the 1988 reunion on That’s Life! of Sir Nicholas
Winton and some of the Jews he rescued as children. It is
spectacularly imaginative and will make readers weep."
*Watch Out For, Nicolette Jones - The Sunday Times*
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