Books with author Peter Sims

Listen. A little boy named Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is playing the piano. Look. He is playing backward! He is playing blindfolded! Imagine. What must his life be like? Play, Mozart, play! Acclaimed artist Peter Sís introduces very young children to the child genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in this picture book tribute to the beauty of listening, looking, imagining, and -- most of all -- playing!

The train of states is rolling by -- rush to the window and watch it go! The very first car? The very first state: Delaware, of course, followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia ... fifty in all. The caboose? Washington, D.C.! Look closely! What do you see? State birds, state flowers, state trees ... forty-three presidents! Can you find them all? Can you spot the flags, heroes, animals, and landmarks adorning the train of states? Clickety clack, clickety clack. Rush out the door, rush to the track. Where is the train going? Come along! Over the prairie, over the mountains, down a green valley, and into a billowing tent. It's time for a party -- it's time to celebrate the fifty states!

Another delightful romp around Madlenka's city blockMadlenka wants a dog! She doesn't really care what kind, so long as it's a dog that she can put on a leash and walk around the block. But her mother and father say NO! What is Madlenka to do? It just takes some imagination . . . Madlenka's friends on the block all play along, remembering the dogs of their childhood, and in the end it seems quite possible that there's more to Madlenka's dog than we can see. With his considerable charm, Peter Sís uses lift-up flaps and peek-through windows to bring us into Madlenka's magical world where play and fantasy make wishes come true.Madlenka's Dog is a 2002 New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year and a 2003 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year. This title has Common Core connections.

World-renowned artist brings the magic of Prague and its legends to lifeIn this allegorical tale, a man in a hot-air ballon is thrown off course in a violent storm, landing him in the city of his youth. He finds the way to his old home, but the house is dark, with three rusty padlocks on the door. A black cat with eyes of fire appears and leads him through Prague's silent streets and monuments in seach of the three golden keys that will open the door of his boyhood home and restore the city to life. In this reissue of one of his most personal works, Peter Sís recaptures the wonder of his own lost childhood in Prague and celebrates the city's wonderful cultural heritage, reborn after forty-five years of Communist rule. He wrote it for his young daughter, Madeleine, who is growing up in the New World, so that when she is old enough to understand it she will have a record of the strange and wonderful heritage that is her birthright. An utterly magical book on every level.

Illus. in full color. The 15th century comes alive in this splendidly original picture book about Christopher Columbus. "The illustrations, executed in a variety of media, show scenes from the explorer's life as well as some imaginary creatures that populated the Europeans' picture of the outside world at that time. The details on each page invite individual readers to pay close attention, but the brief, clear text and framed illustrations lend themselves equally well to group sharing. Make room on your crowded Columbus shelf for this one."--(starred) School Library Journal.

From dust jacket notes: "In every age there are courageous people who break with tradition to explore new ideas and challenge accepted truths. Galileo Galilei was just such a man - a genius - and the first to turn the telescope to the skies to map the heavens. In doing so, he offered objective evidence that the earth was not the fixed center of the universe but that it and all the other planets revolved around the sun....In his amazing new book, Peter Sis employs the artist's lens to give us an extraordinary view of the life of Galileo Galilei. Sis tells his story in language as simple as a fairy tale, in pictures as rich and tightly woven as a tapestry, an in Galileo's own words, written more than 350 years ago and still resonant with truth."

Peter Sis is an internationally acclaimed author, artist, and filmmaker. He was born in Brno, Czechoslovakia, and graduated from the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague. He also studied at the Royal College of Art in London. His picture books for children include "Play, Mozart, Play!"; the Caldecott Honor Books "Tibet: Through the Red Box" and "Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei"; the "New York Times" Best Illustrated Book "Tree of Life: Charles Darwin"; and several popular books inspired by his own children, such as "Madlenka" and "Fire Truck," He has also illustrated bestselling books written by Jack Prelutsky, among them "Scranimals" and "The Dragons are Singing Tonight,"

"If they had seen what we see, they would have judged as we judge." -- Galileo Galilei In every age there are courageous people who break with tradition to explore new ideas and challenge accepted truths. Galileo Galilei was just such a man--a genius--and the first to turn the telescope to the skies to map the heavens. In doing so, he offered objective evidence that the earth was not the fixed center of the universe but that it and all the other planets revolved around the sun. Galileo kept careful notes and made beautiful drawings of all that he observed. Through his telescope he brought the starts down to earth for everyone to see. By changing the way people saw the galaxy, Galileo was also changing the way they saw themselves and their place in the universe. This was very exciting, but to some to some it was deeply disturbing. Galileo has upset the harmonious view of heaven and earth that had been accepted since ancient times. He had turned the world upside down. In this amazing new book, Peter Sis employs the artist's lens to give us an extraordinary view of the life of Galileo Galilei. Sis tells his story in language as simple as a fairy tale, in pictures as rich and tightly woven as a tapestry, and in Galileo's own words, written more than 350 years ago and still resonant with truth.