Title: The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain
Author & Illustrator: Sis, Peter
Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre Ltd. , 2007
Genre: Picture, auto-biography, historical non-fiction
BookAwards: Caldecott Winner, New York Times Best Illustrated Book Award, Kirkus Reviews Editors' Choice, Horn Book FanFare, School Library Journal Best Book, Parents' Choice Award Winner
Age Range: 3rd grade and up
Summary: This book is an auto-biography of Peter Sis. He chronicles growing up in Czechoslovakia during the Cold War. Sis shows his struggles, whether it be emotional or political. Peter finds comfort through art. In a cold, regimented world, Sis uses drawing as an escape. As Sis gets older, he finds himself
Response: This is an interesting book, a well researched, well developed novel. I think it is so interesting how Sis uses his pictures and his words to intertwine with each other. The full page photos, comic-book like strips, and other innovative techniques keep the readers attention. One of my favorite aspects of this book was Sis' use of color. I really enjoyed seeing how Sis used color throughout this book. It was eye-catching how he used black, white, and the occasional red for bad memories. The Beatles, rebellion etc... were all in full color. Sis' joys in life were in color. I also enjoy how he portrayed characters. For example, the government was portrayed as pigs!
Teaching Ideas: Although this book is written on a younger reading level, I feel as if it is intended for an older audience. This would be a great book to use in the high school classroom! In the English class, you could talk about use of color, symbolism etc. Maybe use it as an intro to a unit on war or a piece of literature that you may be reading about the Cold War. I could also see this book being a favorite in social studies classrooms! Art classes could also find Sis' unique style of color and simple pictures helpful!
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