Leda Schubert

Author Leda Schubert and illustrator Gerard DuBois present the life story of celebrated mime Marcel Marceau in this informative and engaging picture-book biography, managing to capture some of the pathos of his early life, as well as the magic of his craft through the simple but expressive text and evocative artwork. Born in 1923 as Marcel Mangel, Marceau was a young man when the Nazis occupied France, joining the resistance and becoming involved in many daring activities, from leading show more groups of Jewish schoolchildren across the border to safety in Switzerland to hiding American parachutists who had landed behind enemy lines. His father, who like many of France's Jews did not survive the war, was killed in a concentration camp. After the war, Mangel took the name Marceau and began to study the art of mime, creating the now famous character of Bip, a tragic-comic character with sad eyes and a penchant for amusing adventures. This character, and Marceau's work as a performer, would eventually become world-famous, entertaining thousands of audiences during the course of his long career.

As someone who knew very little of mime in general or Marcel Marceau in particular - I had been familiar with the name, of course, and recognized the face of "Bip," when I saw him, but that was the extent of my familiarity with the subject - I went in to Monsieur Marceau with no set expectations. I came away immensely impressed, both with the subject of the book, and with its creators. I was particularly struck by the connections Marceau himself drew between his choice of profession, which involved silent communication, and his identity as a Jew, and the son of a victim of the Nazi Final Solution: "The people who came back from the camps were never able to talk about it," Marceau once said, "My name is Mangel. I am Jewish. Perhaps that, unconsciously, contributed towards my choice of silence." Obviously, there is so much more to Marceau than Bip, his "public face," and this excellent book communicates that wonderfully. I appreciated the fact that Schubert was able to communicate so much, factually and emotionally, without drowning her narrative with information. The artwork by Gerard DuBois brilliantly captures the emotion in Schubert's text, skillfully depicting the mixture of sadness and joy that seems to have characterized Marceau's life and art.

All in all, this is a wonderful biography for younger readers, one that manages to be both informative and moving - an afterword gives more details about Marceau - and a beautiful book, artistically speaking. Recommended to children who enjoy biography, or who are interested in mime, theater, and/or Marcel Marceau. show less

This is the true story of Raven Wilkinson, who as a young woman became a professional ballerina while dealing with many obstacles. Despite insults hurled against her from racist audience members to full-on KKK threats, she persevered as the first African-American woman in the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo (an American touring ballet troupe) and later became a member of the Dutch National Ballet and the New York City Opera.

This book was bittersweet and had me near tears at one point. Raven show more Wilkinson seems like a lovely person and it's such an unjust world that she had to face so many tribulations in her chosen career for no reason other than the color of her skin. And that it took still decades later before another hurdle could be passed, when an African-American professional dancer played the lead role in Swan Lake at last, noting that Raven Wilkinson was an inspiration and a mentor in her own career.

This title opens with a foreword by Misty Copeland, that same dancer who drew inspiration from Raven Wilkinson's life and career. Backmatter includes a note from Raven Wilkinson herself, a brief biographical sketch, a glossary of ballet terms, and a bibliography. The illustrations throughout are bold, striking, and eye-catching, with emotions clearly shown. show less

In simple, rhythmic prose, a little girl learns from her mother the cycle from sheep to wool to sweater. Each picture shows a different part of the process, starting with feeding the sheep and ending with knitting a sweater, including sheering, carding, dyeing, and more along the way.

This is an educational story to read to young children who will be fascinated to see the process that leads up to the finished process. It's also a sweet and warm story showing a mother's love for her daughter show more and the passing of the seasons on a farm. The simple rhymed refrain at the end of each section of text is perfect for making this a gentle bedtime story.

U'Ren's art is simple and clear enough so that children can understand the various processes, but also includes fun pictures of the little girl playing with the wool and her dog and snuggling up to her mother.

Verdict: Recommended. I haven't seen any other sheep stories, especially not any that manage to be both informative and entertaining show less

A little girl asks her mother what she is doing all along the process of the mother feeding the sheep and shearing the sheep all the way up to the finished product of a warm, woolen sweater knitted for her daughter.

This was a lovely book on many levels. Without being heavy-handed or didactic, it shows a beautiful bond and love between daughter and mother as well as how much hard work goes even into simple, everyday items that we all take for granted. The coming-full-circle ending with the show more daughter going out to feed the sheep is just perfect. The illustrations help to express the text, but my only quibble is that some terms (particularly "carding") might not be familiar ones for everyone and are not fully explained. show less