This is Paris book review by Alexander

Title of the Book: This is Paris 

Author Name: Miroslav Sasek 

Reviewer's Name: Alexander 

 Publisher: Universe Publishing 

Date of Publication: 2004 (original copyright 1959)

Rating: 1-5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐ 

The book, This is Paris by M. Sasek is a good introduction to the French capital for kids, but it contains a few flaws and outdated information. The book takes kids around Paris introducing different pets, types of people, and landmarks, such as Notre Dame, and many of Napoleon's old monuments. This is Paris uses a combination of Irony, and caricatures to establish a light-hearted atmosphere. One example of irony being established is when M. Sasek states that “this waiter's name is Marcel when you want to call him you yell “Garcon!”-boy- even though he’s sixty years old”. This is ironic because you call the 60-year-old waiter a boy, even though he is way past that age, this creates a lighthearted atmosphere for kids. 

Another example of M. Sasek setting up a lighthearted tone is through the caricatures and style of art. The art is fully done in watercolor with all the human and animal features being exaggerated, just like a traditional caricature. This establishes a lighthearted tone because shapes that are not rough just seem more friendly to the human psyche than bold and dark shapes and colors. Overall these two elements work together in Harmony to create a nice lighthearted atmosphere for kids to enjoy. 

The book This is Paris by M. Sasek has many upsides, but a few things make the book outdated. The Jardin d’Acclimatation theme park has undergone many changes since 2004, especially after Covid-19. One example of this is the go-cart driving course, with it being shut down at the moment due to covid concerns, with park executives deciding on whether or not it should stay or go. One other flaw that the book has is that it only covers the good parts of French history in Paris, with it skimming over most of the 19th century. Overall, This is Paris by M. Sasek is a good book for children’s first introduction to Paris, but in order to become perfect, it must include 19th-century French monuments that were mostly erected after the first world war.