The Secret of the Village Fool

Milek and his brother Munio live in a quiet village in Poland with their odd neighbour, Anton, the Village Fool. Anton is a gentle but strange man who talks to animals, feeds flies, and only eats vegetables. When the Nazis begin rounding up Jewish boys, Anton worries about his neighbours and comes up with a plan to rescue the boys, providing them with dresses to disguise themselves as girls. Milek and Munio manage to escape with their family while other boys are taken away. They make it to Anton's home where he builds a makeshift cellar under his house to hide the entire family and two orphan girls. Not so foolish after all, Anton's quick thinking and bravery saves the entire family, and he is later hailed as a hero. The back of the book details what happened to Anton and his friends after the war and includes photos.