Norman Rockwell’s paintings explore romance and love in its many varied forms, to sweet and/or comic effect. I’ll admit to being a fan of his. DespiteNorman Rockwell’s paintings explore romance and love in its many varied forms, to sweet and/or comic effect. I’ll admit to being a fan of his. Despite his artwork displaying an all-white particular era of American life, he didn’t limit himself in terms of class.
Here is a spectrum of people from many different social strata in myriad situations. A middle-class teacher maintains a blank demeanor as an intrusive suitor brings her chocolates while a smirking student scribbles on the board behind her. A couple too poor to afford a proper wedding signs up for a marriage license and the bored clerk slouches in his chair. An adolescent boy stares longingly at pictures of starlets as his faithful dog commiserates with a silent glance. A boy and girl primp separately in two panels for a date. An elderly man, years of love and devotion apparent in his fond glance, stands patiently as his equally aged partner pins a corsage on his lapel. A man glances anxiously at a clock while his oblivious date leans on his chest. A couple doing the walk of shame realizes that they’re not very late but very early as the milkman shows them his watch.
So it goes. Love, romance, lust, longing glances and leering poses are all spread across these pages in Mr. Rockwell’s lifelike and matchless style. I recommend this for all fans of his works....more
Through impressionistic images, we see a cat as various different creatures on this planet experience the four-pawed beast. It lets a child understandThrough impressionistic images, we see a cat as various different creatures on this planet experience the four-pawed beast. It lets a child understand that the way a bee sees is not the way a mouse or a dog does. Most children won’t get a deeper understanding than that; they’ll just enjoy the incredible pictures. Yet there is a subtle, underlying message here. The world is filled with wondrous creatures, each with their own unique way of perception and there’s no one right way of “seeing”....more
On display is Mr. Ito in all his glory. These are the works of an artist. While people might think he is a morbid, crazed lunatic, there is a certain On display is Mr. Ito in all his glory. These are the works of an artist. While people might think he is a morbid, crazed lunatic, there is a certain order and grace in these images. While monsters are often on solo view, there are at times other people reacting to the horror of what is happening to hapless victims. But, in certain stories, the so-called victims do not see themselves as such. They succumb to the mania and the bodily alterations that are happening to them, often with a joy that borders on the transcendental. They might end up drastically changed but it is a change they welcome.
Mr. Ito understands that the urge to do something…nasty exists in even the most placid soul. Four of his panels show him succumbing to the urge to play one of his heavily furred cats like an accordion. Is this alarming? Yes and no. While there is a manic glee on the face of his drawn representative as he squeezes and stretches the strangely content feline, we know that he won’t actually do it. It’s a silly urge that he expunges by painting instead of performing it.
He’s capable of surprises. Indeed, many images stun the viewer. As you flip the page, you prepare yourself for what will come next. Yet there is no preparation. There is only the fascination we confer on those who capture our attention. These pictures may make us squirm but we can’t look away…...more
I’ve seen quite a few of the films mentioned in this book. However, I’ll admit there were a few movies I couldn’t bring myself to watch. Whether it waI’ve seen quite a few of the films mentioned in this book. However, I’ll admit there were a few movies I couldn’t bring myself to watch. Whether it was from disgust, fear or nausea, I stopped watching 1982’s The Thing after I saw a poor man attacked by tentacles and then go staggering into the snow, having been almost replicated except for outsized skeletal hands. I felt a sensation of sickness then and I wasn’t certain why. I’ve seen worse things in Cronenberg films wherein human heads explode and monkeys come apart in closed telepods.
This book digs into horror films and gives you background, history and context. It touches on why they matter (even the splatter) and why and how they affect people as strongly as they do. Ms. Hughes argues that horror flicks are not just cheap entertainment for the witless masses; they carry deep messages about racism, classism, xenophobia, paranoia, grief and the unease we experience about the weird, uncanny and just plain awful.
It’s educational without being heavy. It’s literary without being prolix. In short, it’s just the book for folks who are inquisitive about the horror subgenre but have been nervous about actually watching such films.
Ms. Hughes may or may not be a horror fan now. But she was curious and gracious enough to go nosing into some of the iconic representations of the art and gives us insights brimming with intelligence, humor and decided expertise. (The back page lists her credentials as a former editor and writer.)
This is a non-fiction book that I would recommend for people who love horror, hate horror or just want to have snappy lines to spout at parties....more
This is the second part of a series and I haven’t read the first book. But, heck, this book was only $1.00 and I said, “Screw it. I’m going to get it This is the second part of a series and I haven’t read the first book. But, heck, this book was only $1.00 and I said, “Screw it. I’m going to get it and read it anyway.)
A group of children have a special gift: their doodles come to life. Apparently, in the previous installment, they got loose in an art institute and caused a bit of a mess. Here, they return and the mess becomes havoc.
The children are called upon to fix an error and, instead, make it worse. While I was appalled to see famous works of art being destroyed by someone’s unintended mischief, I rather liked the notion that children can’t fix everything. The Scooby Doo trope gets old. Children don’t know everything, they don’t understand everything and sometimes it’s better to step back and let adults handle matters.
However, the adults are dealing with forces they don’t quite understand and it’s up to the children to mend their fences, join forces again and find out who took the baby. In the doing, they stretch themselves beyond the limited confines of their own comprehension. Someone isn’t necessarily a monster because they look strange. Precision isn’t stultifying. Unplanned creativity doesn’t have to be labeled as chaos. Adults aren’t meanies because they like to enforce order and rules.
The book is vivid, buoyant and quite funny in parts. It’s also a poignant look at art and the role it plays in our lives. Adults and children actually converse instead of talking past each other. So this is a book that children and grownups can enjoy together. ...more
This followup to You Stole My Name holds the same puckish humor as the first book in the series. (After all, it’s never too early to get the kiddies hThis followup to You Stole My Name holds the same puckish humor as the first book in the series. (After all, it’s never too early to get the kiddies hooked on cash cow franchises—oops, I mean, literary series!). This time the animals are compared to various plants and flowers that also bear their names.
Unless your child is a plant lover, a lot of these connections may prove wonderful discoveries. The juxtapositions are as lively as ever, too. The image of a crab eyeing a crabapple that has somehow fallen into its domain makes you feel its surprise and suspicion of this piece of fruit as brightly colored as itself. When a monkey holds a monkey orchid, the resemblance is startling. In other cases, you wonder why wolf lichen is named after the lupine beast.
This book is a worthy sequel. If Mr. McGregor intends to continue in this vein, I’ll be most pleased....more
This is a whimsical look at human foibles, our penchant for pareidolia. Then again, some of these connections seem really odd. While the picture showsThis is a whimsical look at human foibles, our penchant for pareidolia. Then again, some of these connections seem really odd. While the picture shows the distinct similarities between the kangaroo and the kangaroo rat, the book doesn’t explain why a cowbird is named after the eponymous bovine.
Instead the stunning photorealistic pictures are accompanied by charming quatrains, apt commentaries about the animals in the facing pictures. Some of the images are very large so that you can see every detail, every strand of fur, stripe, wrinkle or spot. This is a gorgeous picture book filled with lovely pictures of fauna, insects, arachnids and avians. This is the kind of book that you want to keep and pass down to your offspring when they have children. It never grows old and never loses its piquant fascination....more
While this is supposed to be a children's book, the details inside the covers delve into 17th-century England in a way that is informative and fascinaWhile this is supposed to be a children's book, the details inside the covers delve into 17th-century England in a way that is informative and fascinating.
We are once again confronted with the mystery that was William Shakespeare, a man whose birth date and death date are uncertain. His face is fixed in our minds but the painting that purports to show his face may be that of another man. While it's commonly stated that he was the son of a glove seller, that random speculation doesn't show up here. His early life is barely touched upon--perhaps because the details are so murky.
What the author has done is dig into how Shakespeare's works came to be so well preserved. Other playwrights from the periods managed to have their oeuvre preserved for posterity. But many others were lost to the sands of time. We learn how Shakespeare got so lucky, especially since many of his works were only written down decades after his death.
The story winds us through history and touches on disparate issues such as who was on the throne, what writing materials he would have used, how paper was made and, finally, how and why the Folios were preserved within so many different bindings such as calfskin, sheepskin, tooled leather or colored hide. The printing press, which made its debut in the early 15th century, also played a substantial part in keeping Shakespeare's works alive.
In conclusion, the author knows many people won't get their hands on a genuine First Folio. But the avid scrutiny of so many diligent and rabid scholars of Shakespeare's creations means we don't have to; someone somewhere close to you is mounting a Shakespearean play. Or you can get a DVD of filmed adaptation or staged play.
But you have to admit. You would like to get your hands on Farting Folio. ...more
Lemony Snicket’s wry humor is on full display here as a vain, pompous, arrogant nameless Inspector sets out to find who killed the composer.
Sepia drawLemony Snicket’s wry humor is on full display here as a vain, pompous, arrogant nameless Inspector sets out to find who killed the composer.
Sepia drawings interspersed with black-and-white silhouettes take us on a trip through the typical orchestra posing as a witty whodunnit. We learn what role the various instruments play as they defend themselves one by one against the Inspector’s accusations. When the culprit is finally revealed, the Inspector finds himself stumped. The child reading this book will have learned valuable lessons about how the various parts of an orchestra work together to create glorious music.
The next time said child hears the opening strains to Star Wars, s/he may have a newfound appreciation of just what goes into a grand score....more
I’ve never had offspring. But I commiserate with parents who’ve received unasked-for guidance about child rearing from other people. Pairing such adviI’ve never had offspring. But I commiserate with parents who’ve received unasked-for guidance about child rearing from other people. Pairing such advice (and you wonder how much of this is taken from real life) with paintings throughout history showing mothers in questionable poses with their wee ones makes this a scholarly arrow aimed at meddling busybodies who think they know what’s best for your kids.
This is a terrific gift for new parents…or those know-it-alls with their unwanted counsel. It’s a lot classier than Ms. Tersigni’s pithy response to people giving you unsolicited advice. (It pays to read the exordium.) Cover to cover, painting to painting, this is a saucy book indeed....more
I’ll admit I didn’t know of many of these women. But others were very familiar and I was glad to see how history and their own contemporaries viewed tI’ll admit I didn’t know of many of these women. But others were very familiar and I was glad to see how history and their own contemporaries viewed their daring choices of clothing. Sometimes these women were in defiance of the stated norm. Sometimes they donned trousers for comfort. Many a time, they simply wore what other women of their time wore and didn’t know that they were considered transgressive.
Whatever the reasons, these snippets of history remind us that women’s liberation covers a lot of ground. Whether historically, socially or sartorially, women continue to make their mark. We are ever taking bold strides away from what our ancestors knew—and we’re often doing it in pants....more
The original novel is given the graphic treatment and it couldn’t have been in better hands than Emily Carroll. Melinda Sordino, Ms. Anderson’s fictioThe original novel is given the graphic treatment and it couldn’t have been in better hands than Emily Carroll. Melinda Sordino, Ms. Anderson’s fictional stand-in for herself, is in black, white and gray like everybody else. But her bitten lips, slouched posture and the hair in her eyes all display what the novel stated—this is a girl who wishes to hide. She wants to shroud herself from her former friends, her parents and even herself. The truth of one hideous night is something she keeps trying to shove into the recesses of her own mind, even as her psyche cries out for her to reveal what happened.
The artwork she strives to create is given the visual treatment, including the turkey bone-Barbie doll sculpture. It’s appearance is ugly, terrifying and, as the art teacher accurately notes, speaks of pain. Other illustrations shunt Melinda into dark corners, shadowy spaces. Even when she’s in a crowd, she becomes physically isolated. Then she seeks her own isolation in an abandoned closet, a clear metaphor for a safe place—until it isn’t. The horror follows her there, as we know it must.
This is a terrific visual realization of a familiar novel, one that continues to resonate with readers almost 25 years after its original release. It’s been turned into a teaching aide and a movie. (Could a musical be in its future? Why not?) This graphic novel is its latest incarnation…but it probably won’t be the last....more
This story about opposites attracting has its share of humor, pathos, romance, blunders, dudebros, nerds, balletomanes, danseurs (that’s the word, WesThis story about opposites attracting has its share of humor, pathos, romance, blunders, dudebros, nerds, balletomanes, danseurs (that’s the word, Wesley), out gays, closeted gays, bullies, teachers and well-meaning adults.
Wesley Mackenzie is not one of those sharp adolescent characters running rings around the clueless adults around him. He’d like to think some of these people are morons. But he’s the one failing school, ditching classes and earning small change at a job creating endless pizzas. He has trouble articulating his feelings. Heck, he has trouble articulating whenever he feels panic or anger, which is more often than he’d like.
The book pulls us into his head without relying heavily on stereotypical boring adolescent jargon. Wesley wants to be more than the no-good punk everybody thinks he is and is astonished when the seemingly collected Tristan Monroe sees potential in him. The fact that Tristan is out and proud of it really sends Wesley for a loop. Wesley hasn’t told anybody, not even his loving mother, about his homosexuality and hasn’t dared to do anything about it, either. It’s all pining, longing and hiding behind the tough-guy persona he exudes so effortlessly.
The book is about more than Wesley coming out to people. He learns to embrace the contradictions that come with being gay, learning to appreciate ballet and loving Metallica. The book reminds us that it’s not just sexuality that’s on a spectrum. It’s the entirety of human experience: our loves, likes, wants, needs and desires. It’s a sheer joy to find Wesley opening up and, in doing so, bringing his seemingly one-dimensional homeboys Tony and Brad into his new world.
The book manages a kind of happily-ever-after for everybody within its pages, a surprising feat given how Wesley and his friends come off as settled into a dead-end rut of bullying, pizza slinging and weed smoking in the beginning. This is a book that made me curious about skateboarding and Metallica. It does what books are supposed to do: opens the door to the possibilities of other worlds....more
This non-fiction book looks at the way society addresses the appearance of women on film and it digs deep into its subject. There are comparisons madeThis non-fiction book looks at the way society addresses the appearance of women on film and it digs deep into its subject. There are comparisons made about how Hollywood presents strong-hewed men versus gorgeous ladies, why some filmed stories about superheroines fail while others succeed and the ever-present commodification of the young girl and how we’re made to perceive her. A foul-mouthed boy wielding a gun is fine. A jeune fille using coarse language? Not so much.
The language in the book is fairly easy to comprehend, although some sesquipedalian words may require reaching for a lexicon. But the author makes it clear that, while lengthy strides have been made in seeing that a woman can be made to look like she’s kicking butt without being sexualized, American cinema still has a ways to go to making the footing equal between the men and women on screen who are shown as being lethal, ruthless and gifted at either weaponry or hand-to-hand combat.
(However, I don’t think that women are the only ones objectified on screen. I still remember seeing Chris Evans emerge as the super soldier who would become Captain America. He was coming out of a phallic-shaped object, half naked and covered in a dewy mist. It’s not only women who can be eye candy.)
This book was written before the first Wonder Woman film was shown in movie theaters although it addresses the fact that studios kept turning down the opportunity to present her story on the big screen. But it does mention that Gal Gadot signed a three-movie deal to play the Amazonian warrior princess. Now that there are two films have been shown about Wonder Woman, I wonder what addendum Mr. Brown would make about DC’s most famous female icon if he were to re-write this book. ...more
This book was obviously written by a black person and for black folk. Black folk of a certain generation remember these songs. They might even remembeThis book was obviously written by a black person and for black folk. Black folk of a certain generation remember these songs. They might even remember singing them out loud, twirling around, holding the handle of a hairbrush up to their lips and watching themselves in a mirror. They will remember singing them with their friends or listening on the radio (remember the radio?).
This is a book of remembrance, of joy of soul, funk and the Motown sound, something so unique you just knew it when you heard it. The book celebrates that sound and the black people who rejoiced at hearing it. Page after page shows black people, couples of various types, singing to their babies as they cuddle under the covers, float through space or play in the bathtub.
This is a color-filled book about people of color and the way they croon the songs of their youth to their own children. This is a children’s book I’d recommend to everyone with children....more
I was looking to find insight into a Shakespearean play and seeking information about Queen Elizabeth I seemed a good place to start. However, I got mI was looking to find insight into a Shakespearean play and seeking information about Queen Elizabeth I seemed a good place to start. However, I got much more than I bargained for in this precise tome.
The author delved deep and searched wide to find information about this bygone era. She had the help of friendly informants who were all too happy to answer her questions, show her their files and interpret the difficult ciphers that passed for writing. From the poor to the highborn, Ms. Picard threw her net wide and pulled in amazing details for her efforts.
She split her topics into sections dealing with clothing, food, beauty, sex, marriage, crime and punishment, to name a few. They aren’t dry and dull by any means but an insightful look into the way people managed their lives. The topic of whether people stank is addressed (we may smell better now but they did provide soap, water and recipes for deodorant). The Thames was a silty river, slate gray in color rather than the pristine clear stream that poets lauded. Elizabeth suffered terribly from the toothache due to carious teeth but refused to get them pulled, insisting on pressing her finger in her mouth to relieve the pain.
Of course, the book is more than a random scattering of juicy trivia. We get historical details on everything that could be of importance, showing a vibrant people engaged in shopping for food, buying fresh groceries, going to church and insulting their neighbors.
Surprisingly, Shakespeare’s plays are mentioned only as they touch on other subjects. The author doesn’t dwell on them. Perhaps she thought that was best left to scholars of the Bard. In any case, the book brims with colorful data for the Elizabethan buff or the novice who’s just dipping their toe into learning about 16th- to 17th-century London....more
Jordan and his friends make a school trip to Paris and it’s a grand time for everyone. Mr. Craft winds his usual Jordan commentary and illustrations aJordan and his friends make a school trip to Paris and it’s a grand time for everyone. Mr. Craft winds his usual Jordan commentary and illustrations around the events of the trip. Grievances are aired, insults are broached, friendships are made and tested.
The awful sock-and-sandal-wearing Andy realizes that nobody likes him and finally everybody tells him why. While I was glad Andy got his comeuppance via stern a talking-to and a severe burn by Samira, I wished someone would tell Alexandra that her weird nose honkings via hand puppets is annoying. But, other than having Ashley turn the tables and do the same to her, nobody tells her they really don’t like it.
But the true star of this book is Paris, the City of Lights. Everybody finds it an eye-opening experience, from the placement of the street signs to the artwork the children get a chance to peruse. The French have a very different way of doing things and the children and adults find the slower, calmer lifestyle immensely satisfying. (You wonder why Americans can’t manage it.)
All in all, this was a terrific addition to the New Kid series. I recommend it for children and adults alike....more
This novelty book, shaped like a fancy gateway fence to an ancient home, delves into one of Da Vinci’s failed projects. I read about this attempted scThis novelty book, shaped like a fancy gateway fence to an ancient home, delves into one of Da Vinci’s failed projects. I read about this attempted sculpture in The Second Mrs. Giaconda so the subject is not as obscure as you might think. But the horse is meant to present a lost dream of a famous artist, thus there is a particular poignancy to it.
Ms. Fritz imagines that Da Vinci went to his grave mourning his unfinished equestrian creation. Isn’t that always the way? In spite of our successes, at the end of our lives what we regret are the things we didn’t do. However, the author shows us the many things Da Vinci did create and the various ideas and sketches he had for future inventions. He was truly an inventor, a visionary and Renaissance man, with plenty of strings to his bow.
This children’s book is deceptively simple but beautiful and intimate in its subject. There are detailed sketches as well as colorful illustrations. It’s a historic tale, artistic lesson and a love story to a magnificent sculpture that finally had its realization in the late 20th century. It is a testament to the notion that genius may occasionally fail but inspiration doesn’t die....more
This is one very unusual teenaged romance. What can you say about a love-at-first-sight meeting that turns into a frantic search when one party absconThis is one very unusual teenaged romance. What can you say about a love-at-first-sight meeting that turns into a frantic search when one party absconds almost immediately after learning who the other person is? It’s pitched as a Cinderella romance and the description is spot-on. Nathan Grisheimer falls hard for Richard Cameron Pierce, Jr. but bolts when he finds out his name. The Pierces are associated with a soul-crushing music company. But worse than that, Richard Pierce, Sr. once did something heinous and Nate has cherished a bitter hatred for him ever since then.
The two boys get together in chapter two and it isn’t until chapter ten that they reunite. It’s like a game of hide-and-seek wherein Cameron desperately searches for Nate, not just because he’s fallen for him but because Nate is an incredible guitarist. Cameron for his part has a golden voice that seems as if it’s designed specifically for Nate’s playing; he’s also a skilled lyricist as well.
Their past gets between them as Nate strives to put aside his loathing for the tragedy that occurred between his father and Cameron’s father years before they meet. It’s a resentment that’s been brewing and simmering for so long, Nate isn’t sure he can let go of it or keep from tarring Cameron with the same brush.
The story is powerful, the references to music certain to appeal to music lovers. The romance takes a while to get going but it’s described in such moving terms, you root for these young star-crossed lovers to reunite and resolve their differences. It’s about music, it’s about youth, it’s about record labels and record deals. It’s about the crushing weight of genius and the legacy it leaves for those who survive. It’s about love, no matter how impossible it seems to be....more
