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Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued
(Kindle Book, OverDrive Read)

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Published:
Norton Young Readers 2021
Accelerated Reader:
IL: LG - BL: 3.7 - AR Pts: 0.5
Lexile measure:
620L
Status:
Available from OverDrive
Description

A Finalist for the 2022 Jane Addams Children's Book Award


An NPR Best Book of 2021


A New York Times Best Children's Book of 2021


A Washington Post Best Book of 2021


A Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book of 2021


A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book of 2021


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.

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Format:
Kindle Book, OverDrive Read
Street Date:
01/26/2021
Language:
English
ISBN:
9781324015758
ASIN:
B08PRY64SY
Accelerated Reader:
LG
Level 3.7, 0.5 Points
Lexile measure:
620
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Citations
APA Citation (style guide)

Peter Sís. (2021). Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued. Norton Young Readers.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)

Peter Sís. 2021. Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued. Norton Young Readers.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)

Peter Sís, Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued. Norton Young Readers, 2021.

MLA Citation (style guide)

Peter Sís. Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued. Norton Young Readers, 2021.

Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
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676b9785-025d-4aa5-14a4-28b288d48d80
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Date Added:
Jan 29, 2021 16:12:40
Date Updated:
Jan 29, 2021 16:12:40
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Mar 24, 2024 14:51:13
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Feb 20, 2024 05:57:28
Last Grouped Work Modification Time:
Mar 27, 2024 02:11:40

OverDrive Product Record

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      • value: Holocaust
      • value: jewish history
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      • bioText: Peter 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 Irvington, New York.
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fullDescription

A Finalist for the 2022 Jane Addams Children's Book Award

An NPR Best Book of 2021

A New York Times Best Children's Book of 2021

A Washington Post Best Book of 2021

A Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book of 2021

A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book of 2021

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.

gradeLevels
      • value: Grade 2
reviews
      • premium: False
      • source: New York Times Book Review
      • content: Captivating.... Sís takes great care, in this Holocaust tale about the horrific consequences of demonizing people who are different, to highlight the things we have in common.
      • premium: False
      • source: Philip Pullman
      • content: This is a story about an unlikely hero, who quietly and modestly saved hundreds of children from the Nazis, and earned the eternal gratitude of those he managed to bring to Britain during the Second World War. It's a story that deserves to be told, and in Peter Sís he's found the perfect storyteller and illustrator. I read it with fascination and admiration for a man of great goodness and modesty.
      • premium: False
      • source: Brian Selznick
      • content: Peter Sís uses his unique genius to share with us the true story of a quiet hero whose message is especially important for today's world. The book works a kind of alchemy, with images that read like poetry and text that reads like a manifesto on goodness and decency. Together, the words and pictures are a love letter to humanity. Read it as soon as you can.
      • premium: False
      • source: Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
      • content: An extraordinary life memorably and evocatively presented.
      • premium: False
      • source: Publishers Weekly (starred review)
      • content: [A] deeply considered picture book biography.
      • premium: False
      • source: Booklist (starred review)
      • content: Sís' latest reminds readers that real heroes are often quiet and unassuming.
      • premium: False
      • source: BookPage (starred review)
      • content: Tenderly crafted, visually layered and deeply reverent
      • premium: False
      • source: Sunday Times
      • content: Spectacularly imaginative and will make readers weep.
      • premium: False
      • source: Horn Book Magazine (starred review)
      • content: An exceptional story told with a powerful combination of words and pictures.
      • premium: False
      • source: School Library Journal
      • content: The text and the artwork demonstrate the power of one courageous individual who was determined to make a difference.
      • premium: True
      • source: Publisher's Weekly
      • content:

        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.

      • premium: True
      • source: School Library Journal
      • content:

        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

        Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

      • premium: True
      • source: The Horn Book
      • content:

        Starred review from May 1, 2021
        At the end of 1938, when the Germans invaded the border region of Czechoslovakia, a young Englishman named Nicky arranged for the transport of 669 children from there to England, where they were settled with families to live out the war. In this remarkable book, Sis weaves Nicky's story with that of Vera, a Czech child who was one of those Nicky saved. The story does not end with the transport but includes the post-war years as Vera returns to Czechoslovakia in search of her parents and cousins (none survived) and returns to England for good; and as Nicky's quiet, productive life unfolds. Sis tells this multi-stranded tale in prose that is as understated as Nicholas Winton (as Nicky is eventually identified in the back matter) was himself and in illustrations that capture the complexity and heartbreaking emotion of the tale. For example, Vera kept a diary during the war, and Sis illustrates the years during which Vera lived with her foster family against a grid of diary pages; small squares include drawings such as a child with a violin, fish and chips, and a radio, all representing her years growing up in England. On subsequent pages, text overlays more journal pages, these covered with minuscule handwriting as time passes and Vera searches for family. In a final spread, when an elderly Nicholas Winton is publicly recognized for his quiet heroism and introduced to the adults he saved as children, each adult faces a seated Winton, and, inside each outline, Sis has drawn the child they were when they left Czechoslovakia. This is an exceptional story told with a powerful combination of words and pictures to engage both those who know some history of the Holocaust and those new to the topic. An appended note tells more about Nicholas Winton and Vera Diamantova. Maeve Visser Knoth

        (Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

      • premium: True
      • source: The Horn Book
      • content:

        May 1, 2021
        At the end of 1938, when the Germans invaded the border region of Czechoslovakia, a young Englishman named Nicky arranged for the transport of 669 children from there to England, where they were settled with families to live out the war. In this remarkable book, Sis weaves Nicky's story with that of Vera, a Czech child who was one of those Nicky saved. The story does not end with the transport but includes the post-war years as Vera returns to Czechoslovakia in search of her parents and cousins (none survived) and returns to England for good; and as Nicky's quiet, productive life unfolds. Sis tells this multi-stranded tale in prose that is as understated as Nicholas Winton (as Nicky is eventually identified in the back matter) was himself and in illustrations that capture the complexity and heartbreaking emotion of the tale. For example, Vera kept a diary during the war, and Sis illustrates the years during which Vera lived with her foster family against a grid of diary pages; small squares include drawings such as a child with a violin, fish and chips, and a radio, all representing her years growing up in England. On subsequent pages, text overlays more journal pages, these covered with minuscule handwriting as time passes and Vera searches for family. In a final spread, when an elderly Nicholas Winton is publicly recognized for his quiet heroism and introduced to the adults he saved as children, each adult faces a seated Winton, and, inside each outline, Sis has drawn the child they were when they left Czechoslovakia. This is an exceptional story told with a powerful combination of words and pictures to engage both those who know some history of the Holocaust and those new to the topic. An appended note tells more about Nicholas Winton and Vera Diamantova. Maeve Visser Knoth

        (Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

      • premium: True
      • source: Booklist
      • content:

        Starred review from 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.

        COPYRIGHT(2020) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

      • premium: True
      • source: Kirkus
      • content:

        Starred review from 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)

        COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

      • premium: True
      • source: The Horn Book
      • content:

        January 1, 2021
        At the end of 1938, when the Germans invaded the border region of Czechoslovakia, a young Englishman named Nicky arranged for the transport of 669 children from there to England, where they were settled with families to live out the war. In this remarkable book, Sis weaves Nicky's story with that of Vera, a Czech child who was one of those Nicky saved. The story does not end with the transport but includes the post-war years as Vera returns to Czechoslovakia in search of her parents and cousins (none survived) and returns to England for good; and as Nicky's quiet, productive life unfolds. Sis tells this multi-stranded tale in prose that is as understated as Nicholas Winton (as Nicky is eventually identified in the back matter) was himself and in illustrations that capture the complexity and heartbreaking emotion of the tale. For example, Vera kept a diary during the war, and Sis illustrates the years during which Vera lived with her foster family against a grid of diary pages; small squares include drawings such as a child with a violin, fish and chips, and a radio, all representing her years growing up in England. On subsequent pages, text overlays more journal pages, these covered with minuscule handwriting as time passes and Vera searches for family. In a final spread, when an elderly Nicholas Winton is publicly recognized for his quiet heroism and introduced to the adults he saved as children, each adult faces a seated Winton, and, inside each outline, Sis has drawn the child they were when they left Czechoslovakia. This is an exceptional story told with a powerful combination of words and pictures to engage both those who know some history of the Holocaust and those new to the topic. An appended note tells more about Nicholas Winton and Vera Diamantova.

        (Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

popularity
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shortDescription

A Finalist for the 2022 Jane Addams Children's Book Award

An NPR Best Book of 2021

A New York Times Best Children's Book of 2021

A Washington Post Best Book of 2021

A Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book of 2021

A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book of 2021

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...

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A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued
publisher
Norton Young Readers
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      • code: JNF025090
      • description: Juvenile Nonfiction / History / Holocaust
      • code: JNF053140
      • description: Juvenile Nonfiction / Social Topics / Prejudice & Racism