A NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER?I was born at the beginning of it all, on the Red sidethe Communist sideof the Iron Curtain. Through annotated illustrations, journals, maps, and dreamscapes, Peter S_s shows what life was like for a child who loved to draw, proudly wore the red scarf of a Young Pioneer, stood guard at the giant statue of Stalin, and believed whatever he was told to believe. But adolescence brought questions. Cracks began to appear in the Iron Curtain, and news from the West slowly filtered into the country. S_s learned about beat poetry, rock n roll, blue jeans, and Coca-Cola. He let his hair grow long, secretly read banned books, and joined a rock band. Then came the Prague Spring of 1968, and for a teenager who wanted to see the world and meet the Beatles, this was a magical time. It was short-lived, however, brought to a sudden and brutal end by the Soviet-led invasion. But this brief flowering had provided a glimpse of new possibilitiescreativity could be discouraged but not easily killed. ?By joining memory and history, S_s takes us on his extraordinary journey: from infant with paintbrush in hand to young man borne aloft by the wings of his art.?The Wall is a 2007 New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year, a 2008 Caldecott Honor Book, a 2008 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year, the winner of the 2008 Boston Globe - Horn Book Award for Nonfiction, and a nominee for the 2008 Eisner Award for Best Publication for Kids.

 

This book is the winner of numerous awards. It was recognised by the Parents' Choice Award. It was recognised in the Nonfiction category by the Horn Book Award. Presented annually since 1967 by the Boston Globe and Horn Book Magazine for excellence in childrens and young adult literature. This honour is granted in the three categories of Fiction and Poetry, Non-fiction, and Picture Book. Presented annually since 1967 by the Boston Globe and Horn Book Magazine for excellence in childrens and young adult literature. This honour is granted in the three categories of Fiction and Poetry, Non-fiction, and Picture Book. It also was recognised by the Robert F Sibert Informational Book Award. It was recognised in the Nonfiction category by the Flicker Tale Children's Book Award. Also it was recognised in the Information Book category by the Beehive Award. It was recognised in the Illustrated category by the Book Sense Book of the Year Award. It was recognised by the Caldecott Award. The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. It was recognised in the Ages 10-14 Years category by the Capitol Choices Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens. It was recognised in the Nonfiction - Middle Grade category by the Cybils Award. The Cybils Awards is a group of readers passionate about seeking out and recognizing books that represent diversity, inclusion, and appropriate representation for children and teens. To accomplish that goal, the Cybils Awards works to recognize books written for children and young adults that combine both the highest literary merit and popular appeal.

There are 56 pages in this book. This book was published 2007 by Farrar, Straus & Giroux Inc .

Peter Ss is an internationally acclaimed illustrator, author, and filmmaker. He was born in Brno, Czechoslovakia, and attended the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague and the Royal College of Art in London. Peter is a seven-time winner of The New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year, a two-time Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honoree, and has won the Society of Illustrators Gold Medal twice. Peter's books, Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei, Tibet through the Red Box, and The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain were all named Caldecott Honor books by the American Library Association. The Wall was also awarded the Robert F. Sibert Medal. In addition, Peter Ss is the first childrens book illustrator to win the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship. He was chosen to deliver the 2012 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture for the Association for Library Service to Children. Peter won the 2012 Hans Christian Andersen Award. This award is considered the most prestigious in international children's literature, given biennially by the International Board on Books for Young People. Peter Ss lives in the New York City area with his wife and children.