To Sail a Ship of Treasures

by Lisl Weil

Author Lisl Weil recalls the pleasures and sorrows of her own childhood in Vienna, and invites the reader to treasure the memories of life, whether it has been a long or a short one.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1984

About the author

Lisl Weil was a children’s author and illustrator, most remembered for her ink and felt pen drawings. She was born in Vienna, Austria in 1910, and it was during her Austrian childhood that Weil gained her first interest in the arts, particularly in music and the visual arts. It was an interest that became a life long passion and pursuit. While living in Europe, Weil worked as an illustrator for various European periodicals; after immigrating to the United States in 1939, Weil became a U.S. citizen, married Julius Marx, and began writing and illustrating children’s books, an occupation that she continued for 37 years. Lisl Weil illustrated over 100 books, many of which she wrote. She also pursued her love for music, channeling her energy into a musical venture for children. She involved herself in performance art and created life-size drawings that were choreographed to move rhythmically to a musical score. She called this “a real picture ballet” and the ballets were performed for children at concert halls around the U.S. Weil was also involved in the television and film industries; one of her children’s stories was made into a movie and she had a weekly television show for children during 1963-1964. Weil passed away in February 2006.

Reviews

[Capn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author and illustrator Lisl Weil recalls her life story, through the eyes of the child she was, beginning in Vienna and ending up in New York (WWII).

There are bittersweet memories - getting a new dad (we are never told what became of her original one), wearing a dirndl in the mountains, a new apartment with a chandelier and elevator, buying paperbacks from the bookstore across the street, her first visit to a Viennese coffee shop, the marriage of her older sister and birth of her nephew, selling her first illustrations, the death of her dad, the Anschluss (Nazi takeover of Austria), and fleeing to New York.

One stands out most of all - Lisl was taken gravely ill (illness not specified, but I think perhaps it was polio) for an entire year and was left with facial deformity (partial paralysis, I gather), which she didn't realise until the other children in her classroom laughed and pointed at her upon her return.

There's something really sweet about all of these stories, because she doesn't dwell on either the happy or the sad moments - they are memories, or 'treasures', taken along with her on her ship of life. At the end, she asks the reader which treasures they have aboard on their ships of life, and to reflect on their life's story.

Interesting, anyway. Certainly different to most picture books. I think it would appeal most to other aspiring young artists and authors - and it can be read for free on OpenLibrary (please donate, if you have the means to do so!). :)