This is a deceptively simply told story, illustrated with deceptively naïve images both exquisitely combined to tell the story of Nicky (Sir Nicholas Winton) and Vera, a young Jewish child from a village outside Prague. Nicky was an unassuming British born man of Jewish heritage who, while on a visit to Prague in 1938, quietly set about organising the removing of 669 Jewish children from Czechoslovakia to safety in Britain: the Kindertransport.
A story of this magnitude, depth and complexity is one that would be difficult to convey to young children, but Sis does so with a lexical ease and simplicity of structure that can only be admired. It is a story simply told. The illustrations, although equally unsophisticated and portrayed with a child-like naivety lend an emotive depth to the story. The image of Vera standing small and alone in the vast and empty train station serves to enhance the enormity of the situation to which these children were exposed. They were saved, but their lives would never be the same.
That Peter Sis himself was moved by the heroic actions of Nicholas Winton is evident in the pages beyond the story where we are given the historical back story and the potted biographies of both Nicky and Vera. As
experienced readers, we can appreciate that this story just needs to be told, retold, and kept alive… to become a part of the fabric of our understanding of human courage. And Sis is the only author who could have presented it with such heart-felt beauty for our young readers.

I love books by Peter Sís. The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain and Tibet: Through the Red Box are two of my favourite books of his and I strongly suggest you read them if you haven’t already. Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued tells the incredible story of a silent hero of World War II who saved the lives of nearly seven hundred children by organising secret evacuations from Prague to England.

Nicholas (Nicky) Winton was born in London in 1909 into a free-world where children could do anything and be anything they wanted to be. As a child and young adult he embraced his passions and travelled over Europe. All this would change though as in Germany a dangerous leader and his Nazi party were growing stronger. In a small town in Czechoslovakia on the fringes of Prague, a ten-year-old girl named Vera was busy enjoying her childhood and lived happily with her Jewish family.

1938 was a dangerous time to be a Jew and as the German army marched into border region of Czechoslovakia, Nicky pre-empted the dangers that lay ahead. From a hotel in Prague, he worked tirelessly helping children escape on his ‘special trains’ under the ever watchful eyes of spies and with the Nazi’s closing in Vera made her escape.

Nicky & Vera tells the story of a remarkable man and the children he rescued with a focus on one particular child, Vera. Their stories are expertly intertwined with the pair finally meeting many years later in life. Incredibly, Nicky never told anyone about his secret mission during the war and it wasn’t until much later in life that his wife found the paper records that he had kept and an appearance on a British TV show would reunite him with many of the children that he had saved. Not only did Nicky organise this incredible rescue mission he also served in the war, to quote Nicky, “I only saw what needed to be done.” Tragically for Vera, on returning to her homeland she found that her family had been victims of the war and that there was nothing left for her and in the end she moved back to England where she would marry and have a family of her own.

Peter Sis handles the topic of the holocaust and the atrocities of war in such a sensitive way and this makes for the perfect book to introduce younger readers to the tragic events of World War II. The prose tell the important parts of the story without going into too much detail and the accompanying artwork is stunning. The author’s note at the back of the book provides plenty of additional information which makes for an interesting read in itself for adults and older children.

This is an incredible story and I had to keep reminding myself that these events actually happened as it is all seems so impossible and improbable. Nicky was determined to overcome the odds that were stacked against him. He was a man doing what needed to be done. He was the quiet hero whose actions saved the lives of 669 children.

Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued is due for publication on 26th January 2021.

Recommended for 7+.

With thanks to Norton Young Readers for the advanced reader copy which was obtained via Netgalley.

This beautiful, poignant book and the story it tells needs to be on every bookshelf and read in every school. It tells the story of a remarkable man and his determination and commitment to doing the right thing. It allows the reader to access this story and the utterly amazing illustrations draw the reader further in and open the door for so much thought, talk and discussion This is a part of history which we must never forget and this book will allow younger children, their families,carers and teachers to talk about this difficult subject within the safe context of this perfectly constructed book. As an educator I simply cannot recommend this book highly enough

The quiet heroism of one man, Nicholas Winton, saved 669 lives of mostly Jewish children. He arranged to have them transported out of Prague and taken in by families in England. And never talked about it until his wife found his notes nearly 50 years later. Spare, yet detailed illustrations bring this inspirational story story to vivid life. End notes.

This story made me cry, it was so beautiful. Perfect for schools as a jumping off point to talking about WWII, but safe for younger readers since the text doesn't go into too much detail. The author's note and background illustrations can be used as a teaching tool for older kids. Very Mister Rogers-esque and inspiring.

Wow. Just wow.

There are many childrens books out there linked to World War 2 and it's atrocities and many of them handles details well but none so tenderly as Nicky and Vera written by Peter Sis.

This book tells the story of the quiet hero Nicholas Winton who travelled to Prague in 1938 to visit a friend. Whilst there, he senses the impending danger that Germany will bring. With the help of his friend, he starts compiling lists and photos of children whose parents wish for them to be re-homed until the war is over. He found them homes in England and arranged the transport just before the dreaded Kristallnacht.

In doing so, he saved the lives of 669 children.

This book is written so cleverly. It writes just enough for a parent/educator to say to tell the basics of the story however the illustrations give extra details so that if an adult could explain more details based the maturity of the children.

The illustrations are absolutely stunning.
I highly recommend this book and would happily read this to my class and my own children.

In true Peter Sis style, the book pays tribute to Nicholas Winton, who rescued 669 children from Czechoslovakia during Germany’s invasion in World War II. His heroic actions were quietly unnoticed until his wife found papers many years later. The beautiful artwork Peter Sis creates to illustrate Nicky’s efforts and Vera’s life, as one of the rescued is compelling.

This book is stunning and the true story it contains just makes it even more incredible. The illustrations are beautiful and so clever. I have already shared bits of the story with the children at school and I can't wait to show them the whole book when it comes out. Everybody needs to know this story.

Beautifully written and illustrated account of an Englishman and one of the Jewish children he helped escape from Czechoslovakia before their families were sent to concentration camps by Nazi soldiers in World War II. This book is a must have for elementary libraries and would be a wonderful read aloud in 2nd-5th grade classrooms.

It's wonderfully refreshing to read a book about a quiet hero--a man who did the right thing because it WAS the right thing. No recognition required. He saw something that needed to be done, and he did it. Nicholas Winton saved 669 children in Prague from the Nazis by arranging for them to travel to England and stay with British families during the Holocaust. He did this quietly, telling no one. It was only much later that his story was revealed.
This story is is told in simple, "quiet" prose that is enhanced by illustrations that reveal fascinating details. A note from the author reveals even more information about Nicholas Winton and Vera Diamantova. This is an important book about moral character, one that deserves widespread reading and discussion about its content and the way the author reveals it and discusses the nature of heroism.