Madlenka's Dog

by Peter Sís, Peter Sís (Illustrator)

Overview

Another delightful romp around Madlenka's city block

Madlenka 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 S¡s uses lift-up flaps and peek-through windows to bring us into Madlenka's magical world where play and fantasy make wishes come true. Full-color pictures throughout]]>

Author Biography: Peter S¡s has written and illustrated many award-winning books for children, including Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei and Tibet Through the Red Box, both Caldecott Honor Books. He lives in New York City.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781466857704
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	07/15/2014
Series:	Madlenka
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	62 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Peter Sís is an internationally acclaimed illustrator, author, and filmmaker. He was born in Brno, Czechoslovakia, and attended the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague and the Royal College of Art in London. Peter is a seven-time winner of The New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year, a two-time Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honoree, and has won the Society of Illustrators Gold Medal twice. Peter's books, Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei, Tibet through the Red Box, and The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain were all named Caldecott Honor books by the American Library Association. The Wall was also awarded the Robert F. Sibert Medal.

In addition, Peter Sís is the first children’s book illustrator to win the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship. He was chosen to deliver the 2012 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture for the Association for Library Service to Children. Peter won the 2012 Hans Christian Andersen Award. This award is considered the most prestigious in international children's literature, given biennially by the International Board on Books for Young People.

Peter Sís lives in the New York City area with his wife and children.

Peter Sís is an internationally acclaimed illustrator, author, and filmmaker. He was born in Brno, Czechoslovakia, and attended the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague and the Royal College of Art in London. Peter is a seven-time winner of The New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year, a two-time Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honoree, and has won the Society of Illustrators Gold Medal twice. Peter's books, Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei, Tibet through the Red Box, and The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain were all named Caldecott Honor books by the American Library Association. The Wall was also awarded the Robert F. Sibert Medal.

In addition, Peter Sís is the first children’s book illustrator to win the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship. He was chosen to deliver the 2012 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture for the Association for Library Service to Children. Peter won the 2012 Hans Christian Andersen Award. This award is considered the most prestigious in international children's literature, given biennially by the International Board on Books for Young People.

Peter Sís lives in the New York City area with his wife and children.

Editorial Reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
The power of imagination is an unparalleled force. Peter Sís celebrates this awesome ability in his charming city girl, first introduced in Madlenka. In that book, Sís showed us Madlenka's diverse neighborhood filled with people of every ethnic background. In this exquisite picture book, Madlenka has one thing on her mind -- she wants a dog! When Mom and Dad don't give in to the little blonde one's request, Madlenka lets her imagination take hold. Soon, she is tying a bright red leash on her new, imaginary dog. As she strolls through her awesome 'hood, her neighbors comment on the delightful pooch. Mr. Gaston, the baker, sees a white french poodle. Mr. Eduardo sees a big and woolly furry friend. Sís uses lift-up flaps to feature the neighbors' versions of Madlenka's dog. And it seems that everyone imagines their childhood pet, as each dog is paired in the illustrations with a child resembling each of the neighbors.

Madlenka meets up with her friend Cleopatra, who just happens to be playing with her imaginary horse. Together, the two conjure up a variety of exotic locales. Using die-cut windows, Sís allows readers see the two girls as they pretend they are princesses in a dragon-filled land, mummies in Egypt, and Eskimos in Alaska -- all with their precious dog and horse by their side. When Madlenka is called home, the two girls go their separate ways. As Madlenka walks back to her apartment, she is followed by more than two dozen precious pooches. "I'm home!" she announces, with the clan of canines happily surrounding her.

Peter Sís weaves a magical tale using a simple concept matched with brilliantly detailed illustrations. A black-and-white sketched background, reminiscent of the gray city streets, makes Sís' use of color more dramatic. The adorable Madlenka, with her red T-shirt and mop of blonde hair, and Cleopatra, in her lemon-yellow dress, shine through as the true stars. Their escape into faraway lands produces a colorful and creative contrast to the backdrop of the city buildings. Sís' simple text and brilliant designs are a homage to the potential of imagination and the spirit of the one and only Madlenka. (Amy Barkat)

bn.com

The urban child introduced in Madlenka (2000) takes another stroll around her multicultural block, this time accompanied by an imaginary but convincingly present dog. After introducing her new pet to Mr. Gaston the baker, Michiko the painter, and other adult friends, each of whom sees it as a different breed, Madlenka joins her friend Cleopatra, and her invisible horse, for a series of wordless adventures in polar snows, ancient Egyptian sands, and various locales between. Sís adds artfully placed die-cut holes and shaped flaps within his richly ornamented scenes, making this a book designer's dream as well as a time- and world-spanning sojourn full of visual surprises and pleasures. And when Madlenka is finally called home, she arrives trailed by more than two dozen very visible canine companions. The human and canine cast both are identified on the final page of this fantastical, brilliantly imagined outing. (Picture book. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews

Inspiring memories in the old and imagination in the young, the dog is a noble beast indeed, and Madlenka's Dog's resonant intergenerational connections make it an inspired choice for sharing.” —Starred, The Horn Book

From the Publisher