Reviews: (by author)

Sis, Peter. Follow the Dream: The Story of Christopher Columbus. New York:Knopf, 2003 (reissue from 1991). $15.95. ISBN 0-679-80628-8.

Peter Sis is an original—no one else's books look like his, with their fine detail and the little side stories his illustrations tell. For years, he has been writing/illustrating books about explorers—not just of geographical space, like Columbus, but scientific explorers as well, to date Galileo and Darwin. The book notes for this picture book state that Sis is Czech born but became a U.S. citizen in the late 1980s, and this experience of coming to a new world inspired him to write about Columbus. Having studied 15th century maps and existing studies of Columbus, Sis has created a history of one of the world's great voyages; outcomes aside, Columbus' journey was one of vision and courage which took him years and years to find funding for. Unusual leadership skills were required to keep the crew from mutiny. Excerpts from Columbus' daily log are beautifully illustrated in Sis' tiny paintings, and elsewhere the three miniscule ships are depicted against the background of a vast ocean. This well-researched book demonstrates to its readers the value of perseverance through Columbus' story and puts before them a varied feast of double-truck art as well as thumbnail size painting sure to lend themselves to multiple readings.

Alida Allison, October 2003

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