Anno's Britain

I'd never had much to do with wordless books, but you cannot see one of Mitsumasa Anno's beautiful works without becoming an enthusiastic devotee of the genre in general, and Anno in particular. It's too bad these books are out-of-print -- at least one should be in every child's library!As in other Anno works, an anonymous Everyman is seen in each textless pen-and-ink two-page spread. In this book, the traveler rows ashore near the Cliffs of Dover, buys a horse near a small village, and rides through progressively more populated scenes -- and what scenes they are! Filled with historical and literary allusions, mini-stories, children playing, panorama and touching detail -- all at the same time! It would take a long time to describe even one illustration, let alone the whole book, but the content is rich and evocative. Your child will appreciate this work at various comprehension levels at different times, and you yourself will make new discoveries with each viewing.These books are not to be missed, and Anno's Britain is very beautiful.

Detailed, pen and ink drawings with no text depict our hero's journey through Britain. Landing his boat near the White Cliffs of Dover, he travels on horseback north through England and Scotland visiting well known cities and towns along the way. This free format book allows the parent to create the journey with the child highlighting British history, historic sights and literture depicted on each page. Scenes include Salisbury, Stonehenge, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, scenes from Shakespeare, the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Picadilly Circus and so forth on through the country side. This book is best suited for parents who have some knowledge of Britain, its history, sites and literature, or could be a starting point for some easy research with an illustrated travel guide. I discovered this book at the doctor's office waiting room and liked it enough to search for it.