The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain (Caldecott Honor Book) - Hardcover

Sís, Peter

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0374347018 ISBN 13: 9780374347017

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 2007

Synopsis

A NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER

"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 Sís 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. Sís 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.

By joining memory and history, Sís takes us on his extraordinary journey: from infant with paintbrush in hand to young man borne aloft by the wings of his art. This title has Common Core connections.

The Wall is a 2007 New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year, a 2008 Caldecott Honor Book, a 2008 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year, the winner of the 2008 Boston Globe - Horn Book Award for Nonfiction, and a nominee for the 2008 Eisner Award for Best Publication for Kids.

About this title

About the Author:

PETER SÍS, a MacArthur Fellow and internationally renowned artist, received Caldecott Honors for Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei and Tibet Through the Red Box. He has lived in and around New York City since 1984.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

From The Wall
 
Â"When my American family goes to visit my Czech family in the colorful city of Prague, it is hard to convince them it was ever a dark place full of fear, suspicion, and lies. I find it difficult to explain my childhood; it's hard to put it into words, and since I have always drawn everything, I have tried to draw my lifeÂ-- before AmericaÂ--for them.Â"                 Â--P.S.

About this edition

• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0374347018
• ISBN 13: 9780374347017
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 56
• Illustrator: Sís Peter