Nicky & Vera

Starred review from November 23, 2020
Though Nicholas Winton saved hundreds of children during the Holocaust, his heroism didn’t come to light until 1988, when his wife found records of the train journeys he had arranged to carry Czech children from Prague to London. In this quiet, deeply considered picture book biography, Caldecott Honoree Sís weaves Winton’s story together with that of Vera Gissing, one of the children he saved, conveying the hard truths of the Holocaust in language that younger readers can take in. In spreads of pale blue, Sís portrays Winton’s arrival in Prague and his realization that he could help children escape: “England would allow refugees under seventeen to come—if
families could be found to take care of them.” The young stockbroker works feverishly to arrange placements and train tickets. Meanwhile, Gissing’s country childhood is recreated with folk-style maps, small cutaways, and dreamlike images; in one spread, her parents hover in mid-air, like figures in a Chagall painting. Winton’s humility is the thread that runs through the story—“I did not face any danger... I only saw what needed to be done,” he said—and the account of Gissing’s life illuminates what was at stake. An author’s note includes further details. Ages 6–8.

December 15, 2020
Grades 2-5 *Starred Review* In 1938, British banker Nicky Winton cancelled a ski trip to meet a friend in Prague. Aware that WWII was looming and that England was accepting child refugees, he set to work arranging for the transport of as many threatened children as possible. Between March and September 1939, when Hitler invaded Poland, 8 trains rescued 669 children, including 10-year-old Vera Diamantova. Afterward, Winton told no one of his work until his wife discovered records of the transports in 1988. Once again S�s highlights a story from his native Czechoslovakia, profiling a man who saw a need and quietly did what he could to right a wrong. The inclusion of Vera's story, based on her memoir and interviews, helps to personalize this story for younger readers, and details from her diaries are incorporated into the narrative. As always, S�s' intricate artwork delights. Unique perspectives (including aerial), fanciful figures (Vera's parents flying), country outlines that become personified, and characters whose silhouettes depict their essences are all used to great effect, as are the sequential panels that depict important events in a character's life. Text is carefully sized and placed, in effect producing primary and secondary narratives. Appended with extensive author notes and sources, S�s' latest reminds readers that real heroes are often quiet and unassuming.

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January 1, 2021
One man made a difference as the full horror of the Holocaust began. In late 1938, a young Englishman of German Jewish descent named Nicholas Winton, known as Nicky, visited Prague, where he saw the many Jewish refugees from Germany's Sudetenland annexation and Kristallnacht. Using means both legal and illegal, he organized paperwork and arranged for eight trains to transport 669 children to safety in Great Britain. Veruska "Vera" Diamantova was a 10-year-old Jewish girl whose parents made the wrenching decision to send her away on one of those trains. After the war, Nicky never spoke of it and put the papers in his attic. Fifty years would pass before his wife found them. A TV show with a reunion of Nicky and the surviving children followed. S�s, Czech-born, tells the story in straightforward declarative sentences that drive the narrative. His brilliantly conceived paintings are an emotional anchor. With varying palettes--blue for Nicky, gold for Vera, and gray for the war scenes--the art flows easily from full-page vistas to miniature scenes that swirl and circle around the pages and even within the outlines of figures and buildings. Readers can pore over the details as Vera stands alone in a London train station awaiting her new family and then count the trains that were able to depart. An extraordinary life memorably and evocatively presented. (author's note) (Picture book. 7-12)

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February 1, 2021

Gr 2-5-S�s tells the story of Nicholas Winton (1909-2015), a British citizen who helped send Czech children to England just before World War II officially broke out. In December 1938, Winton canceled a planned ski trip and joined a friend in Prague who was aiding refugees in the Sudetenland. Working from his hotel room, Winton created lists of children, took photographs, and created train schedules. He soon returned to London to work on securing visas and travel arrangements, find families to welcome the children, and handle the paperwork and bureaucracy. Vera, a young Jewish girl who was a citizen of Czechoslovakia, was one of the 669 children who were successfully brought to Great Britain through Winton's efforts. She lost all but one aunt in the war and its aftermath. Many years after World War II, Vera and some of the other children Winton helped save paid tribute to him on a television show called That's Life. S�s's illustrations combine the literal with the symbolic. Using everything from expansive spreads to miniature panels, he captures different elements from the lives of those involved. The text and the artwork demonstrate the power of one courageous individual who was determined to make a difference. VERDICT A great purchase for libraries where S�s's work is enjoyed.-Heidi Grange, Summit Elem. Sch., Smithfield, UT

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