Tibet: Through the Red Box facts for kids

Tibet Through the Red Box is a special children's book written and illustrated by Peter Sís. It was published in 1998 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. This book tells a true story based on Peter Sís's own childhood memories. It also shares what he discovered when he read his father's secret diary many years later.

About the Book

What's the Story About?

This book is an illustrated memoir. A memoir is like a true story from someone's life, told by that person. Peter Sís shares his memories of his father, who was a documentary filmmaker. This means his father made movies about real events and places.

His father traveled to faraway places like China and Tibet in the early 1950s. He kept a diary hidden in a special red box. Years later, Peter Sís found and read this diary. The book shows his father's adventures and Peter's feelings as he learned more about his dad's past.

From Book to Play

The story of Tibet Through the Red Box was so interesting that it was turned into a play. A famous writer named David Henry Hwang adapted the book for the stage in 2004. This means he wrote a script so actors could perform the story for an audience.

Awards and Recognition

Tibet Through the Red Box has won several important awards. These awards show that the book is highly praised by experts and readers.

• In 1999, it received the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Special Citation. This award celebrates excellent books for children and young adults.
• It also earned the Caldecott Honor from the American Library Association. The Caldecott Medal is one of the most respected awards for children's picture books in the United States.
• The book also won the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis in 1999. This is a major German literary prize for children's and young adult literature.