The book shows a lone traveler arriving in a strange land, reflecting Anno’s own experiences as an independent traveler abroad. It presents a fantasy of pan-European cultural references including figures from art, history and folklore and scenes Anno himself witnessed or hoped he might see.
The biennial Hans Christian Andersen Award conferred by the International Board on Books for Young People is the highest recognition available to a writer or illustrator of children's books. Anno received the illustration award in 1984.
