Tibet: Through the Red Box

Peter Sis delves into childhood memories and his father's diary to create a book for young readers filled quite literally with wonder and magic. As a child, Sis' father disappeared to Tibet for many months, and returned with secrets that took years to gradually divulge to his son. Less a travelogue and more an exploration of our shared inner psychologies and myths, Tibet transports and transforms.

A rich and delightful children's book, this series of stories within a story has much to offer adults, as well. At once magical and profound, it's the story of a boy growing up in post-WWII Prague whose father is sent by the Soviet government to document, through film, the building of a road to Tibet. Later, the boy discovers the adventures of his father though his father's diary. The illustrations are subtle and beautiful, and the narration weaves through them both physically and in terms of story. It's easy to see why this was granted the Caldecott honor.

Another of this authors great 'picture' books. While I still prefer his book on Galileo this one is quite interesting being a mix of the authors memories and his father's journal entries with richly detailed illustrations.

An otherworldly tale of Sis' father's experiences in Tibet and a parallel tale of Sis' experiences with his dad's absence from his childhood and a parallel tale of the later remembering of the stories his dad told. All this and intricate, fascinating drawings as well. It looks like a children's book at first glance, but there is much here to reward anyone who pays close attention. Dreamlike, hypnotic, multi-layered and recommended without reservations.

When Sís was a boy in the 1950s, his father was drafted into the army film unit and sent to China for a two month long expedition. Instead he was gone 14 months, and the family never received world of where he was or if and when he would return. His father learned that he was actually recruited to film the Chinese army building a road into Tibet in preparation for an invasion. This book is the story of his father's experience as seen from both the eyes of the father and son.

Once again the artwork is exquisite, and the story captures the confused emotions of the boy, as well as the adventures of the father. This book is a Caldecott Honor Book, which indicates that the intended audience is children. In my opinion, children would be hard show more pressed to enjoy all the nuances of the artwork or the relationship that underlies the story. show less

The book deals with memory and stories and how we impose meaning on the journeys we take through life. It concludes with a quote from Vladimir Nabokov's The Gift about Marco Polo's journey. There are excerpts from the author's father's diary and related stories that the author remembers from his youth and illustrations.

The author's father was sent by his Communist government to help the Chinese film the construction of a large road to bring civilization to the savages in the western part of their country. His father becomes separated from the group and helped by these "savages," who are actually wise, generous Tibetans.

Tibet Through the Red Box, by Peter Sis. this unique, mesmerizing and beautiful book joins the longings and spiritual perspectives of youth and age in a visual narrative that takes place in Tibet, and is adorned throughout with evocative depictions of Tibetan landscapes and cultural and religious symbols. mysteriously meaningful, serious and hopeful, simultaneously imagined and real, reviewed as "a children's book for adults and an adult book for children."