Starred Review In an autobiographical picture book that will remind many readers of Marjane Satrapi's memoir Persepolis (2003), Sís' latest, a powerful combination of graphic novel and picture book, is an account of his growing up in Czechoslovakia under Soviet rule. Written in several stands, the somewhat fragmented narrative never dilutes the impact of the boldly composed panels depicting scenes from Sís' infancy through young adulthood. Throughout, terrific design dramatizes the conflict between conformity and creative freedom, often through sparing use of color; in many cases, the dominant palette of black, white, and Communist red threatens to swallow up young Peter's freely doodled, riotously colored artwork. The panels heighten the emotional impact, as when Sís fleeing the secret police, emerges from one spread's claustrophobic, gridlike sequence into a borderless, double-page escape fantasy. Even as they side with Peter against fearsome forces beyond his control, younger readers may lose interest as the story moves past his childhood, and most will lack crucial historical context. But this will certainly grab teens o will grasp both the history and the passionate, youthful rebellions against authority well as adults, many of whom will respond to the Cold War setting. Though the term "picture book for older readers" has been bandied about quite a bit, this memorable title is a true example.

Born out of a question posed to Sís (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Play, Mozart, Play!) by his children (“Are you a settler, Dad?”), the author pairs his remarkable artistry with journal entries, historical context and period photography to create a powerful account of his childhood in Cold War–era Prague. Dense, finely crosshatched black-and-white drawings of parades and red-flagged houses bear stark captions: “Public displays of loyalty—<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">compulsory. Children are encouraged to report on their families and fellow students. Parents learn to keep their opinions to themselves.” Text along the bottom margin reveals young Sís’s own experience: “He didn’t question what he was being told. Then he found out there were things he wasn’t told.” The secret police, with tidy suits and pig faces, intrude into every drawing, watching and listening. As Sís grows to manhood, Eastern Europe discovers the Beatles, and the “Prague Spring of 1968” promises liberation and freedom. Instead, Soviet tanks roll in, returning the city to its previous restrictive climate. Sís rebels when possible, and in the book’s final spreads, depicts himself in a bicycle, born aloft by wings made from his artwork, flying toward America and freedom, as the Berlin Wall crumbles below. Although some of Sís’s other books have their source in his family’s history, this one gives the adage “write what you know” biting significance. Younger readers have not yet had a graphic memoir with the power of <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Maus or <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Persepolis to call their own, but they do now. Ages 8-up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Aug.)

Gr 4 Up-Personal, political, passionatethese are among the qualities that readers have come to appreciate about Sís's autobiographical books such as The Three Golden Keys (Doubleday, 1994) and Tibet through the Red Box (Farrar, 1998). This layered foray into family and Czech history begins with succinct sentences at the bottom of each page. Captions accompanying the artarranged in panels of varying sizefill in more details. The pacing and design of the compositions create their own rhythm, contributing much to the resulting polyphony. Sís immediately engages even his youngest audience with a naked, cherubic self-portrait, colored pencil in hand. The ensuing scenes of home and community life in Prague, rendered predominantly in black and white, are punctuated with Communist red and tiny fragments of color as the young artist experiments in the face of rigid conformity. The third-person narration achieves an understatement that helps to mitigate the more disturbing descriptions found in his double-spread journal entries. Bordered by Sís's youthful art, photographs, and propaganda posters, these selections depict his reality behind the Iron Curtain from 1954 to 1977. The recurring themes of music and art as important vehicles of self-expression, and the relationship between a government's inclination to embrace or suppress that creativity and the state's vitality, will resonate with teens. This celebration of the arts climaxes in a full-color spread à la Peter Max. Complex, multifaceted, rich in detail, this book shares the artist's specific heritage while connecting to universal longings. His concluding visions of freedom are both poignant and exhilarating. Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library

Sis has loved to draw for as long as he can remember, and this work tells the parallel stories of his early years drawing and the rise and fall of communism in Czechoslovakia. At home, he could draw what he wanted, but at school he drew what he was told, his only freedom being to dream and hope. A concise introduction fleshes out the history of the time, leaving the rest of the volume for a potent mix of narration, fanciful illustrations, maps and double-page spreads for journal entries. Made palpable is the frustration of an artist in a constrictive society, especially when "Bits and pieces of news from the West begin to slip through the Iron Curtain"—news of the Beatles, Elvis, Allen Ginsberg and the Harlem Globetrotters, depicted in full color to contrast with the grey darkness of the Eastern Bloc. As in all of Sis's works, much is going on here, and readers will want to read it through, and then pore over the illustrations. A masterpiece for readers young and old. (afterword) (Nonfiction. 8+)

This illustrated autobiography by a Czech artist who grew up on the communist side of the Iron Curtain is an eye opening exploration of life during the Cold War era in Eastern Europe. As a child Sis discovers that most activities fall into one of three categories: compulsory, discouraged, or prohibited. He soon learns that there are things he cannot write about, discuss, or draw. Everyone whispers about how things are in the Western world, but because radios and television signals are jammed and phones are bugged, these are only rumors. Life consists of food lines, Russian propaganda, and informants. Then in the 1960s, young people begin hearing of rock music and a group called The Beatles. Youth try to grow their hair longer and secretly listen to rock music in basements. Decadent art starts appearing on fences and walls. People who have traveled and experienced a taste of Western culture will never be satisfied with the stifling authoritarian lifestyle of communism. When the Berlin Wall finally falls, Sis moves to America and becomes a successful animator and artist. This book is packed with the author's primitive art that simply and effectively illustrates the history of Czechoslovakia's struggle with totalitarianism and evokes the dreams of its repressed people. Art and rebellious music helped plant the seeds of revolution. This slight book is a simple, entertaining way to learn about the post World War II era and what life on the "other side" was like.-Kevin Beach