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THE A5 BOOK REVIEWThe "This is" travel book series has been a traditional favorite for kids since first published in 1959 by the Czech writer and illustrator Miroslav Šašek. While This is the World is a compilation of several cities, the rest of the books each provide a charming tour of the sights and history of an individual city, as written from a child's perspective. Šašek was an artist, and the oversized illustrations are what makes this book series so loved. The books are probably best for children ages 4-9. A three week vacation in Paris gave Šašek the idea for a three part series for Paris, London and Rome, and then the popularity of his work drove him to write many more. This Is London received the New York Times Choice of Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year in 1959, as did This Is New York in 1960. Interestingly, This is Cape Canaveral had to be republished as This is Cape Kennedy after Cape Canaveral was renamed after President Kennedy's assassination in 1963. The book was then updated and re-published in 2009 as This is the Way to the Moon. Decades after the original publication, savvy publishers reissued most of the books in the series.
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OTHER BOOKS FROM THE "THIS IS" SERIES (all images link to Amazon)
There are many books in the This Is ... series, including books on Paris, London, Rome, New York, Edinburgh, Munich, Venice, San Francisco, Israel, Ireland, Hong Kong, Greece, Texas, Washington D.C, and Australia.
INTERESTING FACTS AND LINKS:
- To learn more about this great illustrator, visit the charitable trust set up in his name. The goal of the Miroslav Šašek Foundation is to encourage the dissemination of the work of Miroslav Šašek internationally and to promtoe the creation of children’s books by contemporary authors. Visit the website here.
- Miroslav Šašeks prints are an interesting gift. Find them at Art.com.