Details
Synopsis
I was born at the beginning of it all, on the Red side - the Communist side - of the Iron Curtain. Through annotated illustrations, journals, maps, and dreamscapes, Peter Sis shows what life was like for a child who loved to draw, proudly wore the red scarf of a Young Pioneer, stood guard at the giant statue of Stalin, and believed whatever he was told to believe. But adolescence brought questions. Cracks began to appear in the Iron Curtain, and news from the West slowly filtered into the country. Si;s learned about beat poetry, rock 'n' roll, blue jeans, and Coca-Cola. He let his hair grow long, secretly read banned books, and joined a rock band. Then came the Prague Spring of 1968, and for a teenager who wanted to see the world and meet the Beatles, this was a magical time. It was short-lived, however, brought to a sudden and brutal end by the Soviet-led invasion. But this brief flowering had provided a glimpse of new possibilities - creativity could be discouraged but not easily killed., With incredible skill and creativity, children's book author and illustrator Peter Sis shares his years growing up in post-WWII Czechoslovakia alongside grim historical events. From his youngest years, Sis loved to draw, and the forces of Communism shaped his life and art, from what he saw in the streets to what he learned in school to what wasn't being told at all. With graphic, compelling B&W illustrations with splashes of red and other colors. A 2008 Caldecott Honor Book, this incredible achievement is also a 2007 New York Times Best Illustrated Book, as well as a 2007 Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book, and School Library Journal Best Book.
| Details | | Series: | Caldecott Honor Book |
| Size | | Length: | 56 pages | | Height: | 12.3 in | | Width: | 9.8 in | | Thickness: | 0.8 in | | Weight: | 11.2 oz |
Industry Reviews
"THE WALL is a brave book for acknowledging, as Sis writes, 'how easy it is to brainwash a child,' and for taking a serious subject at a time when feel-good children's books are widely assumed to be what sells."
(11/11/2007)
"The pacing and design of the compositions create their own rhythm, contributing much to the resulting polyphony. Sis immediately engages even his youngest audience with a naked, cherubic self-portrait, colored pencil in hand."
(08/01/2007)
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