This is Paris
The first in the series of This is books, This is Paris is a delightful tour of 1950s Paris from a child's eye view.
A three-week vacation in Paris gave Sasek the idea for writing travel books for children, and originally he only intended to produce three books in the series: This is Paris, This is London and This is Rome.
What the critics said about This is Paris
Marchons! Lovers of Paris, Marchons! Straight to this big flat picture book with dozens of fine well-placed pictures of beloved Parisian landmarks... Gaily modern are the half-caricatured people and the design, but the beautiful watercolors of buildings have an almost architectural accuracy. We love it. We hope many a teacher will use this book to awaken interest in la civilization francaise in boys, girls and their elders.
Text from First books and a 'Young traveler' offer views of far lands," in New York Herald Tribune Book Review, May 10, 1959, p.30.
[This is Paris is a] handsome and evocative picture book...presenting a potpourri of Parisian landmarks and life... Humor and sophistication mark the simple text, which is nonetheless direct and childlike in appeal. Even the child who has but a vague notion of what and where Paris is should have fun poring over the details of the distinctive illustrations and marvelling over the surprising glimpses of another way of life.
Gertrude B. Herman, Junior Books Appraised: 'This is Paris' in Library Journal, Vol. 84, No. 13, July, 1959, p.2224
This is Paris is a delightful, amusing travel guide for children....[Sasek] has used the techniques of [Claude] Monet and [Georges] Seurat to express the reflections of the "City of Light" as tiny dots of color shimmer below the Eiffel Tower. The people's faces are reminiscent of [Amedeo] Modigliani, for example, the lady carrying the long bread stick. Famous landmarks, such as Notre Dame, Pont de Neuf, and the Louvre, as well as everyday bus stops, book stalls, and letter boxes are pictured with enough space for comfort. Wisely, he included the Monkey's Paradise at the zoo, French poodles, and a cemetery for dogs. Adults who have been in Paris may enjoy this book even more than children.
Charlotte S. Huck and Doris A. Young, Children seek information about people and places, Children's literature in the elementary school Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1961, pp.153-92
in http://www.miroslavsasek.com
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