Hiding Little Nita: The Story of a Young Deaf Jewish Girl Hidden from the Nazis in WW II

Hiding Little Nita is the true story of a young, deaf Jewish girl who was hidden during WWII in the Netherlands. The book highlights her resilience, life with her host family, friendship with a neighborhood girl, some dangerous encounters, and the emotional visit with her parents who were hidden by the author’s parents in another region of the country. Nita, her parents, and her cousin were the only members of their extended family to survive the war. Videos and materials related to the Hiding Little Nita story and the book, Two Families in a Hiding Place, which describes the experiences of Nita’s and the author’s families during the war, are available for viewing at the website of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The royalties from Hiding Little Nita will be donated to the American Society for Deaf Children.

Whenever the author told stories about his parents hiding Jews during WWII, the part about Nita was often the most impactful. His brother-in-law, Lynn Elwell, encouraged him to write a children’s book about Nita’s story and developed the first version. Hiding Little Nita and Two Families in the Hiding Place highlight how love can overcome hate.