Nick&Vera by Peter Sis

 This new album for children Nick&Vera

by Peter Sis released by Grasset Jeunesse should be kept in every house, and read attentively. Children must know the people who make the positive difference in the existence of a community or, more important, for the humanity.

A man was a silent hero: his name was Nichola Winton. He was  a rich youg man, lived in London, his origins were Jewish but the family became catholic: in 1938 afforded to Prague. His purpose became the one to save as many Jewish children as possible, bringing them all to England. Nick, it was called in this way, worked hardly, finding money, but also once returned to UK, adding ads in the newsmagazines for trying to find as many families as possible for these children.

Vera Gissing at that time was just 11 years. The story starts when she is 10 years and she lives a brilliant, beautiful existence surrounded by animals, but also love and affection in company of his parents. Unfortunately situation changed abruptly and the parents of Vera decided to give to their daughter the chance to survive. The father donated her a journal. "Please, write here everything: it will be an experience". He would have wanted to read what Vera wrote once returned home; but it didn't happened. The father of Vera died in a camp and the mother returned but then fell sick with typhus and died before to see another time her daughter.

699 children saved. 

There are many, many people who saved Jewish people without publicity, keeping the story silent. But once, after many decades, the wife of Nick, searching for something, discovered the archive that the husband hadn't never shared with her.

At the same time Vera Gissing released a book where she talked of her experience and the person she had to thank for being still alive. Vera had written everyday in the journal presented by her father.

One day a TV program interviewed so mr. Nicholas Winton. He shared his story and he still didn't know that a lot of ex-children, the same one he saved that distant 1938 were waiting for him.

It was a moving moment. Some of these children became important people in the social tissue of their countries: Hugo Maron, Karel Reisz, Gerda Mayer, Alfred Dubs.

In the National Museum of Prague you find the Winton Trail.

Touching children's book with illustrations that speak of broken dreams, the unknown but also of the realization and creation of a new life thanks to the goodness, the bonheur of a wonderful man.

Why recommending this book?

Because it's important not to lose the memory of what happened; but not just for that reason.

We musn't lose the idea of the importance of peace as the biggest value for a society, but also in our communities or families: war as we see everyday because of the Ukrainian-Russian one. It is dilaniating families, creating separation between children and fathers, distance, a lot of worries, death, desperation, uncertainty for the future. Lack of peace in a few words.

More than in any other historical moments this children's book is necessary for a profound understanding: a destiny sometimes starts in a country, for continuing and ending in other ones.

Sad story but plenty of hope!

I thank Editions Grasset for the physical copy of this book.

Anna Maria Polidori