Three Golden Keys The

About this book

The incomparable range and imagination of Czech artist Peter Sis is known the world over through his animated films paintings and best-selling childrens books such asKomodo! The Dragons Are Singing and Follow The Dream. Now with The Three Golden Keys he gives us his most heartfelt and autobiographical work to date: the reworking of three classic Czechoslovakian fairy tales into a haunting illustrated fable of his lost childhood in Prague that is also a deeply felt allegory of the reclamation of a Czech cultural identity after forty-five years of Communist rule. A man returns to his home in the ancient city of his childhood. Three large rusty locks bar his entry. He knows he must somehow find the three golden keys that will let him in. Suddenly a black cat leaps off the gate; seeming to invite him to follow. Together they search through Pragues monuments and landmarks. With each key they find a different aspect of the city comes to life and recounts for them a classic Czech fairy tale. The man runs back to his childhood home and excitedly opens the three rusty locks. Inside the front door back turned to him is his mother. She glances up and as she recognizes him and comes to life so does the city. Utterly magical on every level The Three Golden Keys is destined to become a classic of childrens literature. It truly is a "book for children of all ages."