Peter Sís facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Peter Sís
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| Born | Peter Sís May 11, 1949 (age 76) Brno, Czechoslovakia |
| Occupation | Illustrator, cartoonist |
| Citizenship | United States (1988) |
| Genre | Children's picture books, editorial cartoons |
| Spouse | Terry Lajtha |
| Children | Madeleine, Matej |
Peter Sís (born Petr Sís on May 11, 1949) is a famous Czech-born American artist. He is well-known for illustrating and writing amazing children's books. You might also know him as a cartoonist, as his drawings have appeared in popular magazines like Time and Newsweek. In 2012, he won the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Medal. This award is given to people who have made a lasting impact on children's literature with their illustrations.
Contents
About Peter Sís
Peter Sís was born in Brno, Czechoslovakia in 1949. His dad was a filmmaker, and his mom was an artist. He was the oldest of three kids. His younger brother, David, even became a film director, just like their dad!
As a teenager, Peter loved Western culture. He was interested in things like Allen Ginsberg's poetry, long hair, blue jeans, and rock and roll music. He especially liked bands such as The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and The Rolling Stones.
Peter went to art schools in Prague and London. He studied at The High School of Applied Arts and the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague. Later, he attended the Royal College of Art in London. There, he learned from the famous illustrator Quentin Blake.
Peter Sís's Journey to America
After finishing school, Peter Sís started his career as a filmmaker. He even won a Golden Bear Award in 1980. This was for an animated short film called Hlavy at the West Berlin Film Festival.
In 1982, Sís traveled to the United States. He planned to make an animated film about Czechoslovakia's part in the upcoming 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. However, the Soviet Union decided to boycott the Olympics. This boycott included Czechoslovakia, so Peter could not go home.
He decided to stay in America and was granted asylum. This meant he could live safely in the U.S. It was then that he began illustrating and writing books. He has also made commercials for Nickelodeon and PBS Kids. Plus, he created short films for Sesame Street based on his book Madlenka. Peter Sís became a U.S. citizen in 1988.
Awards and Recognitions
Peter Sís has won many awards for his amazing books and illustrations. He has won the The New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year award seven times!
Major Book Awards
He has also received the American Library Association's Caldecott Honor three times. This award is for outstanding illustrations in children's picture books. He won for:
- Starry Messenger (1996)
- Tibet Through The Red Box (1998)
- The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain (2007)
His book, The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, also won the ALA's 2008 Robert F. Sibert Medal. This medal is given to the most distinguished informational book for young readers.
Peter Sís has won the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award four times for his books:
- Komodo (1993)
- A Small Tall Tale From the Far Far North (1994)
- Tibet Through The Red Box (1999)
- The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain (2008)
He also won the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis (a German youth literature prize) for Tibet Through the Red Box. In 2003, he received the MacArthur Fellowship Award. This award is sometimes called a "genius grant."
International Recognition
The Hans Christian Andersen Award is given every two years. It is the highest honor for a writer or illustrator of children's books. Peter Sís received the illustration award in 2012. This shows his huge impact on children's literature worldwide.
In 2014, Peter Sís was also a finalist for the important NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature.
Peter Sís's Works
Peter Sís has written and illustrated many wonderful books. Here are some of his most well-known works:
- Rainbow Rhino (1987)
- Waving (1988)
- Going Up! (1989)
- Beach Ball (1990)
- Follow the Dream: The Story of Christopher Columbus (1991)
- An Ocean World (1992)
- Komodo! (1993)
- A Small Tall Tale from the Far Far North (1993)
- The Three Golden Keys (1994)
- Starry Messenger: ... Galileo Galilei (1996)
- Fire Truck (1998)
- Tibet: Through the Red Box (1998)
- Trucks, Trucks, Trucks (1999)
- Ship Ahoy! (1999)
- Madlenka (2000)
- Dinosaur (2000)
- Ballerina (2001)
- Madlenka's Dog (2002)
- The Tree of Life: ... Charles Darwin ... (2003)
- The Train of States (2004)
- Play, Mozart, Play (2006)
- The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain (2007)
- Madlenka Soccer Star (2010)
- The Conference of the Birds (2011)
- The Pilot and the Little Prince (2014)
- Ice Cream Summer (2015)
- Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued (2021)
Books Illustrated by Peter Sís
Peter Sís has also illustrated many books for other authors. Here are some of them:
- Miloš Forman and Peter Shaffer, Amadeus, film poster (1984)
- George Shannon, Stories to Solve: folktales from around the world (1985)
- Sid Fleischman, The Whipping Boy (1986)
- Sid Fleischman, The Scarebird (1987)
- Sid Fleischman, The Midnight Horse (1990)
- George Shannon, More Stories to Solve: fifteen folktales from around the world (1990)
- Jack Prelutsky, The Dragons Are Singing Tonight (1993)
- George Shannon, Still More Stories to Solve: fourteen folktales from around the world (1994)
- Sid Fleischman, The 13th Floor: a ghost story (1995)
- Jacques Taravant, Le marchand d'ailes (1997)
- Jack Prelutsky, The Gargoyle on the Roof (1999)
- Jack Prelutsky, Monday's Troll (1996)
- Jack Prelutsky, Scranimals (2002)
- Jorge Luis Borges, The Book of Imaginary Beings (2006)
- Sid Fleischman, The Dream Stealer (2009)
- Pam Muñoz Ryan, The Dreamer (2010)
- Ada Limón, In Praise of Mystery (2024)
See also
- Amnesty-Sís-Pinton Tapestries
