M. Sasek’s series “This is…” has enchanted countless young
travelers – I still remember being given my now dog-eared copy of “This is San
Francisco” by my grandparents – I loved the jazzy illustrations and simple descriptions
of city life. It got me excited
about my upcoming visit to the city!
M. Sasek (also known as Miroslav Sasek) was a Czech austhor and illustrator who later lived
in Munich and Paris (both cities are included in the series). He originally trained as an architect,
and you can see his keen understanding of structure in his drawings of buildings –
the illustrations overall are very lively and uncomplicated, but the buildings
are quite correct and relatively detailed. I think they ground the pictures and make the scenes really
come alive! The people are also wonderfully drawn - real characters, all of them...
My dad recently gave “This is Texas” to my son, and it is
just as captivating, if a little out-of-date. Well, they all are, really – they were written between 1959
and 1970. New editions contain
updates in the back, and it’s fun to compare the old and new, and see how
things have changed. We live in
Texas, and although I love to leave the state when I can, it’s nice to see O
getting interested in exploring his home state, too.
I wish we’d had the New York book before our trip there a
few years’s ago –perhaps I’ll pick it up anyway, and see how it compares with our
memories!
images by sarah and from miroslavsasek.com
No comments:
Post a Comment