Customer Reviews

A Small Tall Tale From The Far Far North

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Peter Sis has blended a little fact with a lot of fiction to create this fascinating story about Arctic explorer and folk hero, Jan Welzl. Born in Eastern Europe, Welzl travelled north looking for adventure and was saved from near death by Eskimos who nursed him back to health and taught him everything they knew about living and surviving in the harsh arctic climate. But when gold is found and the outside world arrives, Welzl worries that his trusting friends will lose their peaceful way of life..... Peter Sis has written a charming and enchanting story that's sure to capture all youngsters' imaginations and send them soaring. His quiet, idealistic, understated text is only outdone by his amazing evocative artwork which mixes maps, panoramas, pictographs and storyboards and children will be mesmerized by their intricacy and detail. With a prologue and epilogue to help fill in both the fact and fancy of the story, A Small Tall Tale From The Far Far North is perfect for youngsters 8-12 and is a captivating story that begs to be read again and again.

A SMALL TALL TALE of the FAR FAR NORTH by Peter Sis recalls the life & adventures of JAN WELZL, a folk hero in Czechoslovakia where the author was born. In the late 1800s the author's hero Welzl made his way overland from central Europe VIA Siberia and 'the land bridge' to the North American continent. You will both learn and laugh as you follow his adventures!

The editors state "illustrations were done in colored inks, watercolors, acrylic gold & rubber stamps on aquarelle paper, and DRIED IN FRONT OF AN OVEN" . . . All the drawings by Sis are captivating: the Inuit (Eskimo) figures in their tiny format, as well as the animals now so shrunken in numbers. Jan Welzl's odyssey of thirty years is presented in literally spiral-ing form - - a Tall Tale merging into Time Travel, or vice versa? The story of this man is part truth, part invention - like all of Life.

Having learned from the Inuit how to survive, Jan Welzl schemed - in gratitude - to defend his friends from exploitation by foreigners. Thus, the twist to this delightfully TALL tale of Peter Sis. He casts a shining light on the life of his hero who inspired in many these essential elements of his own character: "curiosity, courage, decency and a love of the Arctic."

Is it possible that the inventor of the "Griffin & Sabine" books, Nick Bantock, may have found his inspiration in Peter Sis? To any lover of miniature objects, his artistry is brilliant. It took reviewer mcHAIKU far too long to discover this title, especially being the niece of a climatologist who died in an igloo while doing arctic studies for the Pentagon.

Track this book down & savor it. Read it WITH children & be prepared to search out answers to their questions, stimulating further research as well as inner yearnings for exploration. Allow all children (& the child in adults) to be enchanted by the Unknown. Open your mind to new ideas, and allow every mind, with the poet Byron, to be wanderers in the Universe!

Aside from the wonderful historical and anthropological perspectives, this is one of the best examples I've ever seen of fusing words and illustrations into an powerfully engaging children's book that's quite suitable for adults as well. Excellent!

Beautifully illustrated with a great tale to tell. Since receiving this book I've purchased 3 other Peter Sis books...for children and adults.

Great book and illustrations.
Jan Welzl died here in Dawson City in 1948. Location of his grave was forgotten, but it was re-discovered by Rachel Taber, student of profesor Krejci of University of Alaska in 1987.
The grave was restored by his Czech countrymen in 1994 and is located in Public Cementary just next to R.C.M.P. cementary.

I'm sorry to see that this delightful, albeit different, book is out of stock. I would never expect it to be a best seller. Nonetheless, the imaginative story and interesting art work are worth a look.