A Small Tall Tale From The Far Far North
by Peter Sís
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With the help of Eskimos, Jan Welzl survives a perilous journey from central Europe to the Arctic regions in the late 1800s.Tags
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Member Reviews
Because of GR Amy's review.
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Gosh, I wish she'd warned of the poor design. ?Cursive writing in parts, and when the font is normal it's colored blue on a mostly gray background. ?áAlways a small or even smaller font. ?áThe images are meant to show the snow and more snow and loneliness of the far north - which means the colors are muted, the people, animals, homes often tiny. ?áI went outside to get the best light, and took off my glasses, and held the book to my nose, and gave myself a headache, just to get through it. ?áAnd I do not feel as though the effort was worthwhile. ?áI guess if you really like reading antique illustrated journals, ships' logs, letters home, you might like show more it better than I did. ?áOtherwise, don't bother. ?áI'm going to stop trying to read Sis, no matter how enthusiastic the recommendations for him. show less
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Gosh, I wish she'd warned of the poor design. ?Cursive writing in parts, and when the font is normal it's colored blue on a mostly gray background. ?áAlways a small or even smaller font. ?áThe images are meant to show the snow and more snow and loneliness of the far north - which means the colors are muted, the people, animals, homes often tiny. ?áI went outside to get the best light, and took off my glasses, and held the book to my nose, and gave myself a headache, just to get through it. ?áAnd I do not feel as though the effort was worthwhile. ?áI guess if you really like reading antique illustrated journals, ships' logs, letters home, you might like show more it better than I did. ?áOtherwise, don't bother. ?áI'm going to stop trying to read Sis, no matter how enthusiastic the recommendations for him. show less
Peter Sis illustrates the tale of a Czech folk hero, Jan Welzl, who explored the far Arctic North and survived only though the help of the native peoples. Extraordinary illustrations that make this book, a mixture of fable and fact, a feast for the eye and mind of readers of all ages. Technically Peter Sis is a "children's author," but the wealth of illustrative detail makes me wonder whether any child other than one who will become an artist can fully appreciate his work. I love to imagine my grandchildren (all still babies) bending over this book in fascination as they discover detail after detail, each enhancing the lovely story.
Northern regions have always held great appeal for me, so this tale is one that I enjoyed greatly. The spirit of adventure and hardship, self-reliance and new community, and a little twist at the end make this a satisfying read on many levels.
Curricular connections: The depiction of the Eskimo dwelling and village could serve as inspiration for teaching about native cultures throughout the world.
Curricular connections: The depiction of the Eskimo dwelling and village could serve as inspiration for teaching about native cultures throughout the world.
A fantastic book about the Czech explorer, Jan Welzl, who traveled to the North during 1893. Inspired by childhood tales, Sis crafted this book based upon his interpretation of this populas Czech children's tale.
Recenzoj
Citaĵo
„ Vojaĝo de simpla laboristo ĉe la eskimoj. Bona traduko. ”
— 1931(1965), Historio de Esperanto, II, paĝo 733
Citaĵo
„ Vojaĝo de simpla laboristo ĉe la eskimoj. Bona traduko. ”
— 1931(1965), Historio de Esperanto, II, paĝo 733
Apr 12, 2022Esperanto
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ThingScore 25
Jan Welzl, a Czechoslovakian folk hero, supposedly traveled overland across Siberia from Central Europe in the late 1800s. The author has taken a portion of this folk tale and embellished it. The result is this richly illustrated story of the explorer Welzl and of the Eskimos who save his life and become his friends and teachers. The highly stylized drawings and sparse text depict Welzl's show more adventures in the arctic, but are probably more fictional than factual. Although a charming book, it is not recommended as a source of information on Eskimos. show less
added by CourtyardSchool
Author Information
33+ Works 9,011 Members
Peter Sis was born in Brno, Czechoslovakia, in 1949 and attended the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague and the Royal College of Art in London. He began his career as a filmmaker and won the Golden Bear Award at the 1980 West Berlin Film Festival for an animated short. He has also won the Grand Prix Toronto and the Cine Golden Eagle Award, and in show more 1983 collaborated with Bob Dylan on You Got to Serve Somebody. His film work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York. In 1982 Sis was sent to Los Angeles to produce a film for the 1984 Winter Olympics. But the film project was canceled when Czechoslovakia and the entire Eastern bloc decided to boycott the Olympics. Ordered by his government to return home, Sis decided to stay in the United States and was granted asylum. Sis then met Maurice Sendak who introduced him to children's books, and he moved to New York City in 1984 to begin a career in children's literature. Sís earned quick acclaim with the publication of the 1986 Newbery Medal Winner, The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleishman, for which he did the illustrations. Sis is a five-time winner of The New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year.. Komodo! and A Small Tall Tale from the Far Far North were each named a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book, and he has won a Society of Illustrators Gold Medal for Komodo! and a Silver Medal for The Three Golden Keys. Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei was a 1997 Caldecott Honor Book, as was Tibet Through the Red Box. Sis has also received a MacArthur Fellowship Sis' editorial illustrations have appeared in Time, Newsweek, Esquire, The Atlantic Monthly, and many other magazines in the United States and abroad. He has published nearly 1,000 drawings in The New York Times Book Review. He has designed many book jackets and posters, including, in 1984, the famous poster for Milos Forman's Academy Award-winning motion picture Amadeus. He has also completed a mural for the Washington/Baltimore Airport, a poster for the New York City subway system, and a stage set for the Joffrey Ballet. His work has been exhibited in Prague, London, Zurich, Hamburg, Los Angeles, and New York in both group and one-man shows. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Awards and Honors
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1993
- First words
- Oh, misery!
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)I will show them the way...
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 212
- Popularity
- 153,509
- Reviews
- 5
- Rating
- (3.47)
- Languages
- 5 — Czech, English, Esperanto, German, Icelandic
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 11
- ASINs
- 2
