Book Reviews by Missy Andrews

A home school teacher's perspective on the latest offerings in literature for children and young adults.

(Click on a cover to purchase texts.)

The Wall
by Peter Sis

Writer and illustrator Peter Sis (most famous for his Starry Messenger) has a new award winning book: The Wall – Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain (Caldecott Honor, 2007). In this pictorial autobiography, Sis relates his childhood experience in the former USSR. His story provides a vivid and articulate history of the rise of Soviet oppression during the Cold War (1945-1992) when Western ideas were unpopular in Eastern totalitarian countries. The book engages readers on several levels: a simple story is enhanced by detailed illustrations whose captions provide insightful commentary for older readers.

Sis’s story chronicles the growth of a creative child whose artistic freedom is smothered by a totalitarian dictatorship. The child describes compulsory attendance at government sponsored schools, events, programs and projects with entries from his personal journal.

Throughout the story, his art reflects the degree of freedom he enjoys. His fear of governmental reprisals causes him to abandon his art altogether for a time, and he dreams of escape. Desperate to communicate his dreams to others, he joins his fellow artists in painting the Berlin Wall, a concrete symbol of oppression. Their graffiti ties them to the West the wall was erected to eliminate, and provides a visual reminder that freedom and individualism can be stifled, but never completely denied.

The story climaxes with the historic 1989 demolition of this wall, an event which realizes the protagonist’s hopes. Sis calls it a dream come true. With the fall of communism, the boy’s artistic expression is resurrected to become an image of the freedom he will never take for granted. “As long as he can remember,” says Sis of his character, “ he will continue to draw.

While Sis's simple story line remains accessible to early elementary readers, the small print and big ideas in this book make it a must read for students of all ages -- in deed for anyone interested in preserving the freedom of the individual. Thank you for remembering, Mr. Sis.