 He was 3 when the September 1939 invasion of Poland, a joint invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, opened World War II in Europe.During the war, the Pieńkowskis moved about the continent; they settled in Herefordshire, England, in 1946, where Pieńkowski attended Lucton School.Meanwhile, Jan had illustrated his first book at the age of eight, as a present for his father.