The wall : growing up behind the Iron Curtain / Peter Sís.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Sís, Peter, 1949-

Contributor:

Immigrant and Refugee Experiences in Children's and Young Adult Literature Collection (University of Pennsylvania)

Sὶs, Peter.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Sís, Peter, 1949-.

Illustrators--United States--Biography--Juvenile literature.

Illustrators.

History.

Social conditions.

Czech Americans.

United States.

Czechoslovakia.

Authors, American--20th century--Biography--Juvenile literature.

Authors, American.

Czech Americans--Biography--Juvenile literature.

Illustrators--United States.

Picture books for children.

Sís, Peter, 1949---Childhood and youth--Juvenile literature.

Sís, Peter.

Czechoslovakia--Social conditions--1945-1992--Juvenile literature.

Czechoslovakia--History--1945-1992--Juvenile literature.

Local Subjects:

Sís, Peter, 1949-.

Genre:

Biographies.

Sophisticated picture books.

Picture books for children.

Autobiographies.

History.

Juvenile works.

Picture books.

Physical Description:

1 volume (unpaged) : chiefly color illustrations, color maps ; 32 cm

regular print

Edition:

First edition.

Other Title:

Growing up behind the Iron Curtain

Place of Publication:

New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007.

System Details:

Robert F. Sibert Medal, 2008.

Summary:

"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. 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, Sis takes us on his extraordinary journey: from infant with paintbrush in hand to young man borne aloft by the wings of his art.--Publisher information.

Notes:

"Frances Foster books."

Art techniques used: detailed yet playful drawings in pen and ink. Limited use of color to heighten the story.

Caldecott Honor Book, 2008.

Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal, 2008.

Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, 2008.

Notable Book for a Global Society award winner, 2008

ISBN:

9780374347017

0374347018

OCLC:

70839815

Publisher Number:

99987197291

Online:

Contributor biographical information

Publisher description