As you can see I'm sticking with a bit of a theme this week, what with all the romance of valentines and our family trip to Paris. I've pulled out an old favourite of mine to show F all the beautiful sights he will see with this good book.
Miroslav Sasek is one of my all time favourite children's illustrators, so much so that the front cover of his various children's travel guides acted as our wedding table names, with the head table being This is Rome to celebrate the place of our engagement. Born in Prague in 1916, This is Paris was his first published book of the This is series, documenting cities from around the world with beautiful illustrations and fun facts reflecting city life in these wonderful travel guides for kids. Sasek's books portray each destination in such a delightful and detailed way, picking up on the characteristics of each culture, such as 'a Dame bringing home a long loaf of bread - like a thick stick' or the many faces illustrating the artists painting in Montmartre.
This book is a delicate feast, each page to be savoured, allowing you to visit the city from the comfort of your home. Sasek's drawings take you on a walk, whether it's admiring the beauty of the Sacré-Coeur, or taking a trip along the river passing the Pont-Neuf, or to the second hand book stalls on the embankment of the Seine. Each page holds its own slice of knowledge about the city, great for young minds to absorb, and is peppered with playful characters such as Fifi the poodle fresh from the coiffeur.
I've been reading this book to F all last week to get him excited for his trip and now he's telling me all the places we need to visit before we go home. Now I just need to see if I can spot a French poodle for him.
Linking in with the lovely Fritha
What a lovely book!! We were in Paris in the Summer and did the boats in the lake with them which was one of my favourite things to do! Is this book still available to buy?
ReplyDeleteYes you can get on amazon and they do a full range of cities, perfect for kids. x
DeleteThat book looks amazing, I love the illustrations. I love how beautiful some children's books are. x
ReplyDeleteChildren's books are so beautiful, I love how they can transport you somewhere new. x
DeleteThis is definitely the right book for this week! We're hoping to go to Paris at some point. I'll need to make sure to get this book.
ReplyDeleteYou should definitely get it, so many beautiful details and illustrations. x
Deletebeautiful book! makes me want to go to Paris even more!
ReplyDeleteI hope you guys get to go :) x
DeleteThis looks like such beautiful book - I am sold just by the lovely illustrations - going to go hunting for it this weekend - I want :)
ReplyDeleteLaura x
They do a whole series covering loads of cities, If you love Paris then you'll love the others. x
DeleteOh this is so beautiful. It's my little girl's birthday next week - i'll definitely be buying her some books, this one looks fab!
ReplyDeleteI hope you managed to get a copy and that she loved it. x
DeleteWhat a beautiful book, I love the idea of travel guides for children and the illustrations are stunning. Thank you so much for linking up with #kidsbookaweek I will be tweeting and pinning at the weekend x
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing and I'm so glad you like it. x
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