The Wall

Informative, Extraordinary, Remarkable, Artistic, Significant
The Wall Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain written and Illustrated by Peter Sis

Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux Copyright 2007

Caldecott Honor Book && The Robert F Sibert Medal 2008
"A masterpiece for readers young and old."—Starred, Kirkus Reviews

Growing up as an infant and transforming into an adult, Peter Sis takes us on a journey through his life of growing up on the Communist side of the Iron Curtain during the Cold War.  Readers read about Sis's life under the Communist rule of Czechoslovakia, the problems he faces and his dreams of traveling to America. In The Wall readers discover pieces of history as Sis describes how children are told to report to their families and parents are to keep their opinions to themselves. By inferring readers discover that Sis could not question what he was being told, but then he found that that there were things that he was not being told, things that were hidden from him. The secret police coat the pages as they intrude into every drawing of Sis's. In 1968 we hear promises of freedom, but that promise is soon broken. In the final pages of the book Sis breaks free by wings made from his artwork, soaring off to America and freedom.

Reading Level: Grade 4/5 Lexile 760L

Suggest Delivery: Read Aloud

Extras: On the first page there is an introduction with background about the Cold War and how it came to be. There is also an afterward about drawing, how it changed his life and how his drawing changed when he entered school and became part of the soviet communist.

“Complex, multifaceted, rich in detail . . . [Sís’s] concluding visions of freedom are both poignant and exhilarating.”—Starred, School Library Journal

Teachers here are some resources that may help you teach The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain...

Key Vocabulary: cataclysmic, revolution, communist, democracy, liberated, allies, dictatorships, totalitarian, exodus, ideologically, indoctrination, subordination, averted, infestation, censored, subversives,cosmonaut, decadent, embalmed, anarchy, descends, lethargy, tainted, ideological, infiltration, dissidents, regime

Electronic Resources:

• NYTimes: Here you can read a Sunday review about the Wall by the New York Times. This may be beneficial to read before you read the Wall because it will give you more information about the book and most likely capture your interest to want to learn more. 
• PeterSis: On the author's website you can look at his other books, play games, read about the author, read about the press room, contact him, and about the publisher. This website would be great for before, during or after reading.
• Youtube: On this website you can watch a video of pictures from The Wall as you hear a review about the book. This would be great for before reading to captures reader's interest and give them a small background about the book.
• FreeLibrary: Here you can find discussion questions for students! Great when planning a lesson for before, during and after reading activities.

Activities for Students:

• Before Reading: Using the front or back page of the book, use the map of Europe to show students where Czechoslovakia is. Explain the background of the book and Peter Sis's struggle during the cold war. Talk about how times were hard and sometimes borders were built to keep others out. Why do you think they wanted to keep people out? What do you think they used to keep others off their land?
• During Reading:Have children create a timeline of all the important events throughout the war. This lesson could be appropriate for helping them try to pick out key details from a text, just like summarizing a book.
• After Reading: How did this change history? What affect do you think the war has had on the world? How did it change who we are today? Do you think it changed Peter? How? Do you think war will ever end? Write a couple paragraphs in response to these questions.
  
  

  "The ecstatic energy and big-spirited inventiveness of the artist’s drawings make the once all but unimaginable realization of that dream visible for all to see."-The New York Times Book Review

Sís, P. (2007). The wall: growing up behind the Iron Curtain. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.