NICKY & VERA

This exquisitely illustrated picture book explores the story of Sir Nicholas George Winton, who oversaw the evacuation of more than 600 Jewish children from Prague to the U.K. on the eve of World War II.

Told through the eyes of one child, Vera, this meticulously-researched, stunning picture book tells the true story of Nicholas Winton (1909-2015), a British diplomat who lived and worked in Prague in the years preceding World War II. Winton recognized that Jewish children were under threat by the encroaching Nazi regime and decided to do what he could to prevent it. He falsified papers, organized train tickets, and transported over six hundred Jewish children to safety in the UK.

Winton never took any credit for this extraordinary rescue. His story was little-known until a few years ago, when remaining survivors -including Vera - uncovered who their rescuer was, and were finally able to thank him. Winton was honored with a knighthood by the Queen in 2013.

Peter Sís has been awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, three Caldecott Honors, the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis, and scores of other awards and honors. His art has been shown in solo exhibitions around the globe. Other titles by Peter Sís include Starry Messenger, Tibet Through the Red Box, The Three Golden Keys, Robinson, The Pilot and the Little Prince, and many more. Born in Czechoslovakia before the fall of the iron curtain, Sís now makes his home in the United States.