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He visto un pájaro carpintero
Michal tiene 8 años. El curso ha terminado y su única tarea durante las vacaciones será escribir una sencilla frase al día en su cuaderno. Así, mientras mejora su caligrafía podrá llevar registro de su mundo durante el plácido verano. Ochenta y un años después Michal aún conserva aquel cuaderno, escrito en Polonia, en el verano de 1939.
Este libro, que incluye el facsímil del cuaderno real del pequeño Michal, se convierte en una visión del comienzo de la Segunda Guerra Mundial desde los ojos de un niño, un ejercicio de caligrafía convertido en un conmovedor testimonio histórico acompañado de las extraordinarias ilustraciones de Ala Bankroft. El libro recibió una mención especial en los Bologna Ragazzi Awards de 2020, el galardón más prestigioso del mundo en el el ámbito del álbum infantil.
Este libro, que incluye el facsímil del cuaderno real del pequeño Michal, se convierte en una visión del comienzo de la Segunda Guerra Mundial desde los ojos de un niño, un ejercicio de caligrafía convertido en un conmovedor testimonio histórico acompañado de las extraordinarias ilustraciones de Ala Bankroft. El libro recibió una mención especial en los Bologna Ragazzi Awards de 2020, el galardón más prestigioso del mundo en el el ámbito del álbum infantil.
136 pages, Hardcover
First published July 24, 2019
338 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
January 1, 2021
No hay que hacerle caso a la puntuación, porque creo que no puedo calificar el libro realmente. Es una experiencia. Los dibujos, los cuadros, de Ala Bankroft complementan de forma perfecta las simples frases de Michal, ese niño polaco de 8 años que no sabe que está viviendo su último verano normal.
El libro tiene esta atmósfera ominosa, como cuando el cielo se oscurece antes de romper a llover. O tal vez sea una sensación que tengo porque ya conocemos lo que ocurrió después. Es como si el diciembre de 2019 hubiera escrito un libro. Luego vino 2020. Un poco lo mismo. Es el último verano feliz. Y las pinturas me han parecido simples y a la vez capaces de expresar lo que cada frase quiere expresar. Y lo que vendrá luego. Como una premonición. Sobre todo el hecho de que los colores son cada vez más oscuros.
Lo dicho, más que un libro es una experiencia.
El libro tiene esta atmósfera ominosa, como cuando el cielo se oscurece antes de romper a llover. O tal vez sea una sensación que tengo porque ya conocemos lo que ocurrió después. Es como si el diciembre de 2019 hubiera escrito un libro. Luego vino 2020. Un poco lo mismo. Es el último verano feliz. Y las pinturas me han parecido simples y a la vez capaces de expresar lo que cada frase quiere expresar. Y lo que vendrá luego. Como una premonición. Sobre todo el hecho de que los colores son cada vez más oscuros.
Lo dicho, más que un libro es una experiencia.
October 17, 2021
Ya solo el cuaderno de Michał Skibiński es un tesoro, pero esta edición, con las ilustraciones de Ala Bankroft, lo convierte en algo realmente especial.
September 7, 2021
Wholly original and utterly beautiful in its design, illustration and truth. I Saw a Beautiful Woodpecker tells the very true story of the author, Michal Skibiński as an 8 year old boy in Warsaw, Poland, 1939. Given a summer project by his school teacher, Michal writes a single sentence in his journal each day never knowing that war is looming.
The book is beautifully created. Michal's writing has been presented in front of luscious, haunting double-page spreads from Ala Bankroft. Each sentence has its own spread - landscapes empty of people but rich with natural and human spaces and places as if we are observing the world through Michal's eyes.
What starts off as innocent observations: 'I went to a stream with my brother and teacher' gradually begin to include images of a war slowly approaching: 'A plane was circling over Anin'. With these observational pauses, the book is interspersed with photographs of actual pages from Michal's journal but it is the stunning illustrations from Ala Bankroft.
This is a deeply unusual, beautiful and genuine perspective of the war with a powerful, resonant ending in which we find out that the author notes and unknowingly sees his father for the last time. Today, Skibiński lives in a retirement home for elderly priests and a beautiful photo on the book's back helps resonate how real this story is.
The book is beautifully created. Michal's writing has been presented in front of luscious, haunting double-page spreads from Ala Bankroft. Each sentence has its own spread - landscapes empty of people but rich with natural and human spaces and places as if we are observing the world through Michal's eyes.
What starts off as innocent observations: 'I went to a stream with my brother and teacher' gradually begin to include images of a war slowly approaching: 'A plane was circling over Anin'. With these observational pauses, the book is interspersed with photographs of actual pages from Michal's journal but it is the stunning illustrations from Ala Bankroft.
This is a deeply unusual, beautiful and genuine perspective of the war with a powerful, resonant ending in which we find out that the author notes and unknowingly sees his father for the last time. Today, Skibiński lives in a retirement home for elderly priests and a beautiful photo on the book's back helps resonate how real this story is.
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September 3, 2025przejmujące
August 23, 2021
This is a highly unusual children's book and one to mull over for compassionate understanding.
It is not exactly appealing with its many pages of dark illustrations that do not contain detailed imagery. But once you begin to read and mull over the text and images, you grasp that the darkness is representative of the emotionally dark period in which this 8-year-old boy was writing in his journal.
Upon reading the "about" in the back of the book, one learns that the boy's father is a pilot (Polish?) air squadron who died 9/9/1939 - in the midst of the boy's journal though his father is not mentioned.
The daily activities as relayed in the sparse journal entries seem normal, but pondering this book on multiple reads will convey that the boy's family (grandparents, mother, and even nanny) are involved in moving him about and keeping things at a semblance of normal.
A dire, dark period in man's history was looming and this book brings a real-life-journal, preserved over 80 years, to today's readers capturing the essence of a childhood survivor of World War II experience in the enveloping darkness that pervaded their lives. And it also records a spot of beauty in the boy's entry, "I saw a beautiful woodpecker."
I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.
It is not exactly appealing with its many pages of dark illustrations that do not contain detailed imagery. But once you begin to read and mull over the text and images, you grasp that the darkness is representative of the emotionally dark period in which this 8-year-old boy was writing in his journal.
Upon reading the "about" in the back of the book, one learns that the boy's father is a pilot (Polish?) air squadron who died 9/9/1939 - in the midst of the boy's journal though his father is not mentioned.
The daily activities as relayed in the sparse journal entries seem normal, but pondering this book on multiple reads will convey that the boy's family (grandparents, mother, and even nanny) are involved in moving him about and keeping things at a semblance of normal.
A dire, dark period in man's history was looming and this book brings a real-life-journal, preserved over 80 years, to today's readers capturing the essence of a childhood survivor of World War II experience in the enveloping darkness that pervaded their lives. And it also records a spot of beauty in the boy's entry, "I saw a beautiful woodpecker."
I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.
July 6, 2024
4/5 ⭐
Jestem pod wrażeniem
Jestem pod wrażeniem
March 11, 2020
Wykrakałem. Ledwo pochwaliłem Dwie Siostry, że wszystko im wychodzi i dostałem książkę, która w mojej ocenie wyszła niezbyt udanie. “Widziałem pięknego dzięcioła” Michała Skibińskiego zilustrowana przez Alę Bankroft to bardzo ciekawy dokument, który został zaprezentowany brzydko i niestarannie.
Michał ma osiem lat i dostaje zadanie w szkole - codziennie wpisać do zeszytu jedno zdanie. Pisze zatem o tym gdzie był (dworce szczególnie zapadają mu w pamięć), co widział (dzięcioł), kto z rodziny przyjechał i tak dalej. A że jest lato 1939 roku to nagle mamy zapis “Wybuchła wojna”. I ta minimalistyczna narracja skupiona na prywatnych wydarzeniach zaczyna zmieniać się w krótką relację z wojny. Fantastyczny dokument pokazujący, że świat wywrócił się do góry nogami. Dla wszystkich.
Niewielki zeszyt zilustrowała Ala Bankroft i coś tu nie wyszło. Już na okładce tytuł jest nieczytelny, ciemnoniebieskie litery na niebieskim tle są prawie niewidoczne, podobnie jest z opisem na czwartej stronie okładki, zaprezentowanym po prostu nieestetycznie. Tak samo jest w środku - zbyt mocno nasycone kolory niekiedy utrudniają lekturę tych prostych zdań, a całość przytłacza i choć trochę buduje atmosferę grozy, to można było jednak delikatniej potraktować warstwę wizualną tego dzienniczka.
Jednak największe było moje zaskoczenie, że w ilustracjach pominięte zostały niektóre wpisy. Możemy je zrekonstruować z dodanych skanów dzienniczka małego Michała, ale przerywa to przyjemność lektury i rozbija jej logikę, bo niekiedy po kilku stronach zilustrowanych widzimy, że opowieść Michała zawierała też inne zapisy. Zapisy Michała zostały też - to już kuriozum - poddane korekcie. I tak zamiast “Rzucili blizko nas bombę” mamy “Rzucili blisko…”, “szrapnele” zamiast “Szrapnele”. Poprawiono też miejscami interpunkcję. Niepotrzebnie.
Jestem mocno rozczarowany, bo z tego materiału można było zrobić najlepszą książkę o lecie 1939 roku, ciekawszą od wszystkich w tym roku opublikowanych. Nie wyszło.
Michał ma osiem lat i dostaje zadanie w szkole - codziennie wpisać do zeszytu jedno zdanie. Pisze zatem o tym gdzie był (dworce szczególnie zapadają mu w pamięć), co widział (dzięcioł), kto z rodziny przyjechał i tak dalej. A że jest lato 1939 roku to nagle mamy zapis “Wybuchła wojna”. I ta minimalistyczna narracja skupiona na prywatnych wydarzeniach zaczyna zmieniać się w krótką relację z wojny. Fantastyczny dokument pokazujący, że świat wywrócił się do góry nogami. Dla wszystkich.
Niewielki zeszyt zilustrowała Ala Bankroft i coś tu nie wyszło. Już na okładce tytuł jest nieczytelny, ciemnoniebieskie litery na niebieskim tle są prawie niewidoczne, podobnie jest z opisem na czwartej stronie okładki, zaprezentowanym po prostu nieestetycznie. Tak samo jest w środku - zbyt mocno nasycone kolory niekiedy utrudniają lekturę tych prostych zdań, a całość przytłacza i choć trochę buduje atmosferę grozy, to można było jednak delikatniej potraktować warstwę wizualną tego dzienniczka.
Jednak największe było moje zaskoczenie, że w ilustracjach pominięte zostały niektóre wpisy. Możemy je zrekonstruować z dodanych skanów dzienniczka małego Michała, ale przerywa to przyjemność lektury i rozbija jej logikę, bo niekiedy po kilku stronach zilustrowanych widzimy, że opowieść Michała zawierała też inne zapisy. Zapisy Michała zostały też - to już kuriozum - poddane korekcie. I tak zamiast “Rzucili blizko nas bombę” mamy “Rzucili blisko…”, “szrapnele” zamiast “Szrapnele”. Poprawiono też miejscami interpunkcję. Niepotrzebnie.
Jestem mocno rozczarowany, bo z tego materiału można było zrobić najlepszą książkę o lecie 1939 roku, ciekawszą od wszystkich w tym roku opublikowanych. Nie wyszło.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 11, 2022
When I first started reading this book, I went in blind (not knowing what it was about), I didn't clock the dates on the diary entries until the pages of Michal's real-life diary. This is where I read the blurb and found out it was a non-fiction text and follows the true events of Michal's life during the Second World War when they were happening (as diary entries). It was interesting to note the small changes in everyday life before the start of the war, to the complete change in his diary entry "the war began." The use of illustration is also impactful as the pages start off super bright and green (full of life, I took it as), to images of destruction and darkness. This is a really powerful and interesting read, and made me want to find out more about this man's life!
November 4, 2021
Read this translated in Korean (very simple so you dont need to be fluent if you want to read it). Very fast read since each page has just one sentence diary entry, but I could sped long time looking at beautiful paintings at each page describing the situation. This books gave new perspective to WW2 literature by telling the story through simple phrases describing daily life of a little Polish boy and through beautiful nature related art describing the changing atmosphere in the few months before and after the start of the war. Sad it hasnt been translated to English (or Finnish). I just wish it was longer!
October 5, 2022
A beautifully illustrated book which tells a story of life for the author at 8 years old during the summer of 1939. The book is very easy to read as it only possesses one sentence per page and the date that the sentence was written. The illustrations that occupy the book bring to life the sentences of the author and highlight joy and beauty of summer whilst highlighting the bleakness of the coming war.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 8, 2022
Preciós, com dur
August 9, 2024
Kilkuletni Michał miał za zadanie zapisywać jedno zdanie dziennie przez całe wakacje. Był rok 1939, więc w zeszycie znalazły się także lakoniczne, a przez to bardzo wymowne, nawiązania do wojny, która zabrała chłopcu tak wiele. Niestety, według mnie jest to słabo wydane, bo tekst gubi się na kolorowych stronach, ciemnego na ciemnym nie widać zbyt dobrze.
November 22, 2024
Claramente li em português.
Coisa mais linda.
Tenho um grande fascínio por livros (ideias assim), textos curtos que dizem muita coisa.
No caso deste, um diário de caligrafia, uma frase por dia, q em pouco mostra tanta coisa.
Fiquei me lembrando de quando passei uma semana na casa da vó paterna, enquanto meu vô materno falecia.
Neste caso, ele está de férias e no meio disso, começa a guerra.
As ilustrações são belíssimas, e a vontade é de ter um exemplar e reler sempre, pq é cozy, é real, é rápido e é profundo.
Coisa mais linda.
Tenho um grande fascínio por livros (ideias assim), textos curtos que dizem muita coisa.
No caso deste, um diário de caligrafia, uma frase por dia, q em pouco mostra tanta coisa.
Fiquei me lembrando de quando passei uma semana na casa da vó paterna, enquanto meu vô materno falecia.
Neste caso, ele está de férias e no meio disso, começa a guerra.
As ilustrações são belíssimas, e a vontade é de ter um exemplar e reler sempre, pq é cozy, é real, é rápido e é profundo.
September 18, 2021
Glorious illustrations
January 20, 2023
è iniziato tutto con me perplessa ed è finito con me in lacrime. cosa è successo esattamente? non me lo spiego. i disegni erano molto suggestivi, le frasi contenevano tutto anche in 4/5 parole.
October 12, 2022
I Saw A Beautiful Woodpecker truly moved me. The book is a recreation of a young Polish boys Diary during the summer before World War 2 broke out. Michal's teacher set him the assignment of writing one sentence each day across the summer in order to move on to the next year. The entries begin reflecting the beautiful innocence of a young 8 year old boy with sentences about walks with his nanny and planes in the sky. The book is also structured with the pureness of representations of Michals entries as a child. Helping to increase the realism of the book.
From a knowing reader their are subtle hints to war in particular entries where Michal refers to saying good bye to his mother and their being a terrible storm. But to an unknown reader the innocence of Michal is captured by his words. As the entries go on there begin to be more sign of war approaching, before the entry on September the 1st which simply states 'The War Began'.
From this entry onward the illustrations help to capture the raw emotions of the world Michal is now living in. The illustrations alter in their tone with colours becoming significantly darker from this point on, until almost reaching a point of solidity. Coupled with this the haze of the illistrations appears to increase to almost mimic the confusion Michal must be feeling at the time and the surreal picture of his days now.
Whilst the illustrations and the daily entry all touched me, the one entry which moved me greatly was that of September 3rd 'I was hiding from the planes'.
From a knowing reader their are subtle hints to war in particular entries where Michal refers to saying good bye to his mother and their being a terrible storm. But to an unknown reader the innocence of Michal is captured by his words. As the entries go on there begin to be more sign of war approaching, before the entry on September the 1st which simply states 'The War Began'.
From this entry onward the illustrations help to capture the raw emotions of the world Michal is now living in. The illustrations alter in their tone with colours becoming significantly darker from this point on, until almost reaching a point of solidity. Coupled with this the haze of the illistrations appears to increase to almost mimic the confusion Michal must be feeling at the time and the surreal picture of his days now.
Whilst the illustrations and the daily entry all touched me, the one entry which moved me greatly was that of September 3rd 'I was hiding from the planes'.
April 12, 2024
A school requirement led an 8-year-old Polish boy to keep a journal. He wrote just one sentence a day during the summer of 1939 as his family spent the summer holiday near Warsaw, Poland. His journal entries begin on July 15, 1939, and end on September 15, 1939.
Some of the journal entries are beautifully illustrated including the days he found a caterpillar in the park, or when he saw a woodpecker, or caught a wasp in a cup. Other journal entries are copied directly from his journal pages and translated into English.
As you might expect, the journal entry on September 1, 1939, states that the war began. The back of the book explains that on August 28, 1939, the author writes that his dad came to visit (the boys were on holiday with their grandparents). His father was a pilot and died in a plane crash just twelve days later.
Readers can imagine an 8-year-old boy enjoying his summer holiday and begrudgingly writing his minimal one sentence a day to keep his teacher happy. What you don’t expect is to be so affected while reading this boy’s one sentence a day as you know the war is looming. What a treasure this journal is for his family and a look into history inside the mind of a young child.
Some of the journal entries are beautifully illustrated including the days he found a caterpillar in the park, or when he saw a woodpecker, or caught a wasp in a cup. Other journal entries are copied directly from his journal pages and translated into English.
As you might expect, the journal entry on September 1, 1939, states that the war began. The back of the book explains that on August 28, 1939, the author writes that his dad came to visit (the boys were on holiday with their grandparents). His father was a pilot and died in a plane crash just twelve days later.
Readers can imagine an 8-year-old boy enjoying his summer holiday and begrudgingly writing his minimal one sentence a day to keep his teacher happy. What you don’t expect is to be so affected while reading this boy’s one sentence a day as you know the war is looming. What a treasure this journal is for his family and a look into history inside the mind of a young child.
September 7, 2021
Journaling can be useful for a lot of personal reasons. But for one young boy it was something he would cherish for a lifetime.
During the summer of 1939 at the outbreak of World War II an eight-year-old boy was asked to keep a journal. With this assignment from his teacher, he was to write one sentence per day to improve his handwriting. Through the eyes of a child, we can see his journey of everyday life on the backside of war. Each sentence is represented with artwork bringing a bit of light into the darkness.
The diary of Michal Skibinski has been brought to the forefront for everyone to share in this moment of history through his eyes as an eight-year-old. Towards the back of the book readers will find actual pages from the original journal. Parents and teachers can share this diary as a tool to talk about war, journaling and so much more.
During the summer of 1939 at the outbreak of World War II an eight-year-old boy was asked to keep a journal. With this assignment from his teacher, he was to write one sentence per day to improve his handwriting. Through the eyes of a child, we can see his journey of everyday life on the backside of war. Each sentence is represented with artwork bringing a bit of light into the darkness.
The diary of Michal Skibinski has been brought to the forefront for everyone to share in this moment of history through his eyes as an eight-year-old. Towards the back of the book readers will find actual pages from the original journal. Parents and teachers can share this diary as a tool to talk about war, journaling and so much more.
May 16, 2022
Magnifique album sur le début de la guerre en Pologne en septembre 1939 à travers les yeux d'un enfant.
Michal a 8 ans et pour devoirs de vacances il doit écrire chaque jour une phrase représentative de sa journée. Si au début les paysages sont lumineux et à la première personne (j'ai fait ceci, cela, j'ai vu untel) plus on approche de la guerre et plus les couleurs s'assombrissent et les phrases passent à la troisième personne du singulier. Mais l'image finale, sans texte, laisse une lueur d'espoir dans son retour à la lumière.
Un très bel album sur la guerre sans pour autant la montrer.
Le titre et l'illustration de couverture ne laissent toutefois aucun doute sur la nature du sujet.
Les pages reproduites à la fin du cahier original de Michal ajoutent à l'émotion et au réalisme du travail.
Michal a 8 ans et pour devoirs de vacances il doit écrire chaque jour une phrase représentative de sa journée. Si au début les paysages sont lumineux et à la première personne (j'ai fait ceci, cela, j'ai vu untel) plus on approche de la guerre et plus les couleurs s'assombrissent et les phrases passent à la troisième personne du singulier. Mais l'image finale, sans texte, laisse une lueur d'espoir dans son retour à la lumière.
Un très bel album sur la guerre sans pour autant la montrer.
Le titre et l'illustration de couverture ne laissent toutefois aucun doute sur la nature du sujet.
Les pages reproduites à la fin du cahier original de Michal ajoutent à l'émotion et au réalisme du travail.
May 29, 2022
Mentre sfogliavo le pagine di questa serie di frasi mi chiedevo che forse la seconda guerra mondiale, così come la prima e le altre grandi guerra della storia, ha smesso di saper raccontare qualcosa di nuovo. So che appare un pensiero insensibile, ma pareva vero. In questo caso però, probabilmente l'autenticità di una visione infantile di un monento tanto tragico per una nazione, i magnifici dipinti che sottolineavano nel colore e nelle forme l'incupirsi di questo compito estivo, dimostrano che in una chiave originale sarà sempre possibile raccontare qualcosa di nuovo su uno dei momenti più duri della storia moderna.
October 5, 2021
8 year old Michal Skibinski was given a summer assignment; to write one sentence a day in his notebook. This is what he wrote - stunningly illustrated by Ala Bancroft. However, it's 1939 and Michal lives in Warsaw.
A rather unique, poignant and emotional tale. My first reaction to this book was wow and I've revisited it several times. The illustrations are vibrant and dynamic and the single sentences tell a story that is both evocative of long summer days yet full of tension.
Utterly enthralling.
A rather unique, poignant and emotional tale. My first reaction to this book was wow and I've revisited it several times. The illustrations are vibrant and dynamic and the single sentences tell a story that is both evocative of long summer days yet full of tension.
Utterly enthralling.
August 5, 2025
Escogí el libro por las ilustraciones, que son espléndidas y de una sensibilidad y una carga emocional fortísimas. Y solo después me enteré de la trama, del cuaderno y de esa delicadeza de la narración infantil, desde una mirada sencilla, tierna e inocente.
Como todo se transforma y la importancia de valorar lo que tenemos y no olvidar lo sucedido.
Como todo se transforma y la importancia de valorar lo que tenemos y no olvidar lo sucedido.
September 5, 2025
Przepiękna lektura, którą czyta się w mniej niż 5min. Mimo mojego zupełnie innego wyobrażenia o niej, w pełni polecam. Urocza dzięki narracji autora, jak i przepięknym ilustracjom jej towarzyszącym. Wzrusza, składnia do refleksji i na pewno pozostanie długo w pamięci.
January 29, 2020
Minimalistyczna w treści, a angażująca do długich przemyśleń i rozmów.
June 1, 2021
Me ha parecido un libro precioso y que además te enseña muchas cosas.
October 10, 2021
The concept is touching, the illustrations are beautiful, the quotes are so simple and innocent, but very carefully chosen. It felt like a poetry book, I fell in love with it.
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December 4, 2021Letto in italiano, il racconto della guerra dalla autentiche parole di un bambino...
May 19, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is very Beautiful and emotional.
This is very Beautiful and emotional.
September 8, 2022
Beautiful artwork and such profound depth in short sentences.
November 20, 2024
O olhar de uma criança sobre a guerra com pinturas belíssimas que fazem o contraste entre as férias de verão e o medo dos acontecimentos após o início da guerra. Muito lindo.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews