Follow the Dream: The Story of Christopher Columbus

by Peter Sís

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.   

Genres: Picture Books, History, Biography, Nonfiction, Childrens, American History, Historical

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

PETER SÍS is an internationally acclaimed illustrator, filmmaker, painter and author. Born in 1949 in Brno, Czechoslovakia, and grew up in Prague. He studied painting and filmmaking at the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague and the Royal College of Art in London. His animated work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. He came to America in 1982, and now lives in New York's Hudson Valley with his family. Peter Sís is the first children's book artist to be named a MacArthur Fellow. In 2012 he won The Hans Christian Andersen Award.

His many distinguished books include Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei, Tibet: Through the Red Box, Madlenka, Rainbow Rhino, The Tree of Life: Charles Darwin, The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain, and The Conference of the Birds.

Reviews

[Manybooks · Rating 1 out of 5]

Perhaps if author/illustrator Peter Sís had stopped with his 1991 picture book biography Follow the Dream: The Story of Christopher before Columbus' voyages of "discovery" actually started (and no, in my not so humble opinion, these journeys should for ANY book about Christopher Columbus published in the 1980s and beyond NOT EVER be considered the latter, but rather be unilaterally called voyages of forced, unwanted, often violent conquest and of resulting genocide, enslavement and unrelenting pain for many of the Native populations of North and South America, and well, it really grates that Peter Sís most definitely and unfortunately seems to consider Columbus an explorer and a discoverer and not really a Conquistador with blood and shame on his hands) and if in the note to the reader for Follow the Dream: The Story of Christoper Columbus, Peter Sís would also not attempt to equate Christopher Columbus' dreams of wanting to discover and explore the world with his own (with Peter Sís') escape from behind the walls and the dictatorial rules of the Iron Curtain, I might consider being somewhat willing to give more than a one star rating to Follow the Dream: The story of Christopher Columbus (but sorry, any book that makes Christopher Columbus appear as heroic and as someone to be first and foremost feted and celebrated in and for this day and age, this makes me automatically feel sick and also makes me feel enraged, any and all potential positives totally, massively notwithstanding).

But even though it to a certain extent has been decently interesting and informative reading in Follow the Dream: The Story of Christopher Columbus about Columbus' birth, childhood, about his dreams, his desires regarding exploration and discovery, how he, how Christoper Columbus ended up finally persuading King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain to support and to finance his voyages, and that yes, I also rather appreciate that in Follow the Dream: The Story of Christopher Columbus Peter Sís is thankfully using a font size for his text which I do not need a huge magnifying glass for (as this has been a huge personal issue for me with Peter Sís in general), NO INDEED, Peter Sís making Christopher Columbus seem all positive and laudatory in Follow the Dream: The Story of Christopher Columbus, that one illustration of Columbus after landing in what is now the Bahamas has him like some conquering Biblical hero approaching the I assume Taino who look like frightened and awestruck, by divine right and decree subservient children, and the total absence of any source acknowledgements, any bibliographic material whatsoever, this all absolutely and totally rubs me the wrong proverbial way over and over and over again and with enough vehemence so for me to totally, to utterly despise Follow the Dream: The Story of Christopher Columbus and to absolutely and in no way ever consider recommending this book.

[J9 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great educational book for your children over the preschool age. My 5 yr old loved it. Lots of good information with beautiful pictures that will help keep children engaged. This one won the New York Times Bests illustrated children's book award, and you can tell. The pictures are beautiful and unique. This was recommended as an additional read to my son's history lesson on Columbus. He and I both enjoyed it, and it helped solidify the basic information we had already learned in his lesson. A great addition to any children's library.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Celebrated Czech-American artist Peter Sís, who was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 2012 for his "lasting contribution" to the world of children's literature, turns in this beautiful picture-book to the story of Christopher Columbus. Inspired by the voyage of Marco Polo centuries before, Columbus dreamed of sailing west in order to find new routes to the Indies and the Orient. He clung to this dream despite years of refusal from the various European monarchs whom he approached for support, and refused to give up, even when he was seemingly the only person who believed it was possible to find land by sailing west. Eventually, he gained the support he needed, sailing west in 1492, thereby making history and setting in motion events that would radically change the world...

Today, as I write this review of Follow the Dream: The Story of Christopher Columbus, it is Columbus Day, marking the 528th year since modern contact was made between the peoples of Europe and those of the Americas. It is a holiday that has become controversial of late, dividing opinion between those who feel we should not celebrate the day, given the disastrous consequences that first contact had for the native peoples of this hemisphere, and those who believe that, however flawed the man, he did achieve something unprecedented in human history, and laid the groundwork for the modern world we know today. Some cities have replaced Columbus Day with an 'Indigenous Peoples' Day,' while other communities continue to honor the great explorer. Complicating the matter is the fact that Columbus Day has become intertwined with Italian-American identity in many quarters, and is one of the few moments in the national calendar when this community is honored and remembered. For my part, I have little sympathy with the cultural and historical vandalism currently consuming the (so-called) left, but also have no interest in whitewashing history. I tend to believe that historical achievements should be remembered and honored, even when those who achieved them were far from perfect, recalling that old phrase that "we see further than our ancestors because we stand on their shoulders." With that in mind, and given my all-consuming interest in children's literature, I decided to read and review a number of different picture-book biographies of Christopher Columbus, as a means of marking the day. The titles I chose include David A. Adler's A Picture Book of Christopher Columbus (1991), Peter Sís' Follow the Dream: The Story of Christopher Columbus (1991) and Demi's Columbus (2012).

Sís' Follow the Dream: The Story of Christopher Columbus is the second of the three books I have read, after the Adler, and is very different in feeling. While that other title offered a outline view of Columbus' entire life, this one concentrates on the dream that drove Columbus, and concludes when his ships reach San Salvador, on his first historic voyage. Although this is still a biography, and does give a great deal of information, it is not a complete one, and is arranged around the theme of creative thinking and sticking to one's purpose, even when everyone around you thinks differently. There is no exploration of the consequences of Columbus' voyage for the native peoples of the Caribbean, or indeed, the peoples of Europe and the rest of the world. The book was first published in 1991, just in time to mark the 500th anniversary of Columbus' first westward voyage in 1992, and reflects its creator's identification with that explorer's historic dream, as someone who himself came west, from his home in then Czechoslovakia, to live in the United States. Sís' author's note discusses this in greater detail, noting how many maps in Columbus' time showed Europe existing inside a great wall, something he (Sís) found deeply moving, given his own early life enclosed by the wall of the Iron Curtain. This is a much more sophisticated book than the Adler, and is as much about how we approach history, and make meaning from it, as about the history itself. I don't know that I would recommend it, by itself, as a biography of Columbus, but I think it could be paired very well with a fuller, more factual biography, perhaps the one by Demi, which I intend to read next. The accompanying artwork here, done in oil, ink, watercolor and gouache, is beautiful, and well deserving of its selection as one of The New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books. Recommended to slightly older picture-book readers - six to seven, I would say - looking for stories about Columbus, and about exploring the world and following one's dreams.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mom rates 4 stars, kids 3 stars. Illustrations are great. Simple story with most of the important facts to keep this as a short kids book. It was fun to talk about all the other things we knew about Columbus from our studies in CC.

[Holly Mueller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This would be a great book to read right before Encounter by Jane Yolen. This gives CC's perspective, and Encounter gives the Taino's perspective.

[Keely Bailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Illustrations are amazing but some of the facts are off.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great pictures, as expected from Sis, but not so informative. One definitely needs another book to provide any kind of detailed story of Columbus.

[Marina Kahn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Today is Columbus Day, some places still celebrate the day. For example the government offices and courts in New Orleans were closed yesterday for Columbus Day. I decided I wanted to start reading up on old Chris. Best way to start I thought would be with a children's book. So, I picked this up; it's beautifully illustrated. However, it doesn't tell you much about Columbus. We learn about his father and mother and his brothers and how hard it was to get any one to provide him the funds to make the voyage until he got the ear of Queen Isabella.
Must read more books about this subject matter, the adult books are rather long and daunting but I may give them a try next year.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

The legend of Christopher Columbus is a topic well covered in elementary school, all learn the phrase, “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” However, there is a great deal of nonsense associated with the facts of the legends. At the time Columbus was lobbying for his voyage west to go east, few learned people believed the world was flat. The Greeks conclusively proved that it was round using sound scientific principles and that knowledge was never lost. The misconception that people believed Columbus would sail off the edge of the Earth does not appear in this book.
What is omitted is the real factual debate that was taking place and was critical to the concept that Columbus was stating, that it was possible to reach the east by sailing west. Columbus believed that the Earth was far smaller than it is. Therefore, if it were not for the continents of the western hemisphere, Columbus and his crew would have perished long before they reached land.
There is a colossal error midway through the book. It is in the sentence, “Six years later, Christopher Columbus was still the only one to believe that land lay to the west, across the ocean, and that riches would be found there.” Since all learned people believed the Earth was round and there is reason to believe that the stories of Viking expeditions to New England were known to the educated classes of Europe, this sentence is nonsense. Given that the existence of Asia was known, and it was also known that the Earth was round, then many people were aware of the potential to sail west to go east. It is unfortunate that such falsehoods always seem to find their way into books about Columbus.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fans of this author/illustrator know that his illustrations--in this case, created with oil, ink, watercolor, and gouache--are always detailed and evoke the time and place about which he is writing. In this case, he pays tribute to Christopher Columbus and his many attempts to find a shortcut to the Orient. After briefly covering his formative years, Sis turns to Columbus's determination to sail west. His determination didn't flag even after his would-be benefactors refused to finance his voyage. It's easy to see why they would say no. The endpapers show the world in which he lived, where most folks assumed that the world was bound by huge walls guarded by monsters who would kill anyone who dared to cross them. Once the king and queen of Spain agree to support him, Sis paints two pages of thumbnail sketches showing the voyage and the two logs Columbus kept, one accurate, the other to assuage the fearful crew. This is an awestruck, sentimental view of Columbus that omits any mistreatment of the men, women, and children who already were residing in the land he "discovered." Still, it is worth perusing because Sis does such a marvelous job of describing how extraordinary the voyage was. Readers may find it interesting to notice the star-covered cloth and bunting near the beginning of this picture book too.

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Text: 4 stars
Illustrations: 5 stars

Children's nonfiction picture book about Christopher Columbus's voyage to discover America. As with all of Peter Sis's picture books, the illustrations provide talking points just as much as, if not more than, the text does.

I would have liked just a bit more detail in the text. Specifically I want to know more about the hardships faced during the actual voyage. The book mentions "the rebellious crew," but what did Columbus do to lead them to victory, other than lie about the number of miles travelled? The ending is a bit vague. Columbus never knew he had reached America, but didn't he figure out at some point in his life that he wasn't in the Orient?

But Sis does a good job of distilling the information and relating what life was like for Columbus. This book provides a good starting point to entice children into reading a fuller biography of Columbus.

[Kaitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about Christopher Columbus and his fight to set sail, as well as his journey across the sea. This story gives insight of the trouble that Christopher Columbus went through to get ships, a crew, and supplies for a trip, he thought, would take him around the world. Once he had the resources he needed, Christopher Columbus took sail and found what we know today as the America’s. This book includes illustrations that are very appropriate and intricate in design to represent the time. I enjoyed how the author, Peter Sis, made it apparent that people around Christopher Columbus did not approve of the idea of him sailing across the sea. I also enjoyed how the story incorporated different facts about the journey such as trying to make the crew think that the trip was shorter than they thought. I think this story is written in an easy to understand way for all readers to understand.

[Charity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although not very detailed (or nuanced), this was a good introduction to the voyages of Columbus. The story was brief and well written, and the illustrations were delightful. My 3.5yo especially liked that the ships were "so tiny he could hardly see them" on the pages representing how large the ocean was compared to the size of Columbus's three ships. I hadn't known until I read this book that Columbus was meant to be a weaver. Nice story about the value of perseverance (even if it does involve lying to your crew about how many miles you've traveled and then claiming for Spain land that was already inhabited).

I also like the introduction in which Peter Sis tells about the appeal the Columbus story held for him as a man who grew up "behind the Iron Curtain." It's a perspective I'd not considered before.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a story about the journey of Christopher Colombus. It detailed his travels to what he thought was the Orient and documented his struggles with the royalty he needed the support from to embark on his expedition. The story followed his trip across the Atlantic and was full of facts and explained the importance of his impact on orienteering and the fact that even though he was looking for the Orient, he found America.

The artwork in this book was absolutely beautiful. There were maps and surrealist portraits of environments that looked like they were meant to be paintings. The people in the story were drawn interestingly and seemed to come to life. There were cross-sections, maps, and a copyright page that distinguished itself as an informational text. I think it was a pretty good read for parents to their young kids.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an extremely simplistic biography of Columbus up to and suddenly concluding with his arrival in what he believed to be the Orient and the mention that he didn't know where he was. It does nothing to mention the subsequent back and forth journies he made between this new land and his patronage Spain. It doesn't mention what he did in this new land. It focuses instead on his perseverance with trying to charter a commission of ships from the king and queen of Spain. It's a well written primary text though it leaves so much out that you'd have to read a second or third biography on the same guy to get a true gist of who he was and what he was all about.

[Erin Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Follow the Dream: The Story of Christopher Columbus (1991) -Biography

This simple biography follows Columbus from childhood through his voyage to the Americas. It highlights the struggles he faced in getting approval for the voyage as well as difficulties on the journey. It is beautifully illustrated so it would draw in even very young children.

Themes: Exploration, Overcoming Obstacles, Gaining Approval

Teaching Options: This book would be great to introduce young children to Christopher Columbus. It would be great at the beginning of a unit on explorers. It also could be a good resource for a first biography project for young elementary students.

[Diane Rhodes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe that the book, Follow the Dream, by Peter Sis could be a stand in for the typical graduation gift book, Oh the Places You Will Go. This story describes how Christopher Columbus moved beyond what his expected life's work would be to the explorer that he became by following his dream and not being completely discouraged every time he received No as an answer to his quest. This is a juvenile biography which can be enjoyed by readers of all ages. You may have seen drawings of the Santa Maria, but how often do you see a cutaway showing the interior of the ship. Don't miss this one.

[Lana Clifton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Help students explore the journey of a lost sailor with this picture book that introduces young Christopher as a boy who dreams of distant lands. The story integrates fact with myth. In reading this book to students, I ask the listener to consider the definition of the word "discovery" when learning about Columbus's journey. What about the people who were already there? What of the other lost sailors who came before? Perfect for critical literacy in 2nd-5th grade classrooms.

[Kathryn Reeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book starts with the birth all the day to the death of Christopher Columbus. It talks about
how he had to learn to read maps, and work hard in order to become an explorer. He went to
the King and Queen of Spain who eventually gave him 3 ships and 90 men. Christopher actually
kept two logs while sailing one was the real log and one was the shorter log for his crew to see
and keep them in control. It’s very interesting to see what he was like and helps with
adventure and exploration.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

AR 5.1

[Colin · Rating 1 out of 5]

So, we're reading a lot about the Columbian "discovery" of America and the resulting colonialism and all that came with that in my homeschool history curriculum (3rd grade). And someone gave me this one, so we read it together. It is beautifully illustrated, but is a fairly pro-Columbus book. One wouldn't really know that these expeditions resulted in massive slavery and genocide, from reading this book.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this a great book for early middle school to introduce the christopher columbus topic. This book is a fun, interesting way to share the story of christopher columbus and provides pictures to make it more interesting. This is definitely a good book for teachers to know about when teaching this subject.

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice introductory book about Christopher Columbus and the struggles he endured to fulfill his dreams of exploration. Follow the Dream is written with an easy to follow narrative and detailed illustrations that readers will enjoy getting lost in. I really liked learning about Columbus’s fears of a mutinous crew and his false doctoring of distance traveled to calm the anxious ship hands.

[Indra · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are the strong point. This was one of many books we read for our time studying the explorers. The best conversations centered around the way Columbus handled his unhappy crew. We would give this book more stars if the story telling had greater depth - it had its moments, then fell back into the category of being another traditional history text about Columbus.

[Whole And · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Sis graces readers with a historical look at Christopher Columbus's journey that is powerfully memorable. Simple text, gorgeous and informative illustrations and an ultimate story of determination.

Highly recommend "Follow the Dream" as part of historical learning and cultivating a sense of holding on to dreams even when we are originally told not to.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

rating: 3.5

This is a picture book, but it really isn't for kids. Perhaps for use in the middle grades, but an adult is most likely to appreciate the art. As is often the case with works by Sis, it could have used a few more pages, and several more sentences.

Knowing how Columbus and his men treated the native peoples they encountered, I have a hard time admiring anything about the man.

[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book for introduction about Christopher Columbus. Depicts Columbus as a hero only. Could use in conjunction with a book depicting Columbus with a different perspective. Love the details in the illustrations. Very kid friendly.

[MH · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite read-aloud book for Columbus Day for Kindergarten-1st grade. Many different openings for discussion with children (persistence in achieving his dream, journals/logs, weather, traveling during Columbus'life, maps, geography)

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice easy read about Christopher Columbus and his dream for his voyage to the new world.

Peter Sis chronicles the steps that Christopher did to finally be able to make his voyage. Christopher was denied for years to be able to make the voyage.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations were AMAZING! I loved them, and I think 6 year old did as well. The material was well-written, not fantastic, but was a nice accompaniment to the illustrations. Not too advanced for the age, but I think 2nd graders would enjoy it still.