Day: October 2, 2014

When Vampires Won’t Stay Dead

| Tasha

 twilight

According to the New York Times, Lions Gate and Stephenie Meyer will be doing a new Twilight film project.  They will work with five aspiring female movie directors to create five short films based on Twilight characters.  The films will be shown exclusively on Facebook. 

As a complete anti-fan of the entire Twilight experience from the books to the films, I sigh heavily at this.  But I know that certain Twilight fans, one of whom I’m married to, will be thrilled at the news.  Which way do you feel?

Thanks to EarlyWord for the link.

Review: Draw! by Raúl Colón

| Tasha

draw

Draw! by Raúl Colón

In this wordless picture book, Colón recreates his love of drawing as a child and the way that it could take him to new places.  Here a boy is sitting on his bed looking at a book about Africa.  He sets the book aside and picks up his drawing pad and a pencil.  Soon readers can see the images in his head as he puts them on paper.  The boy is transported directly to Africa, setting up his drawing easel in front of each of the different animals of Africa.  The elephant is first and after seeing his picture gives the boy a ride to met the zebras.  The book moves from one animal to the next, the boy changing how he approaches them according to what animal it is.  Until finally a group of monkeys make a picture of the boy.  Readers and the boy return to his bedroom, now littered with all of the drawings of the animals.

This book nicely captures without using any words at all the transformative power of art and creativity.  It beautifully shows how art can transport you to a different place and time, moving you into the flow of creating a work.  It also demonstrates how inspiration can strike and the flow of creativity can overtake you in the best possible way.

Colón’s illustrations are done in pen, ink, watercolors and pencil.  They move from line drawings with pastel tones of real life to a more lush and rich color and style when we are inside the boy’s imagination.  Colón uses lines on these more colorful pages to give texture and movement to the image.  They are illustrations that invite you to walk right into them.

Imagination, creativity and art come together in this book to transport readers right into Africa.  Now it’s time to get out your own pencils and see where they will take you.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Simon & Schuster.

Review: Rabbi Benjamin’s Buttons by Alice B. McGinty

| Tasha

rabbi benjamins buttons

Rabbi Benjamin’s Buttons by Alice B. McGinty, illustrated by Jennifer Black Reinhardt

In the fall, the congregation gave Rabbi Benjamin a vest in honor of the new year.  It was yellow with four bright silver buttons down the front and it was a perfect fit.  Rabbi Benjamin wore his vest to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, which also involved a lot of food.  Each family offered their own special food for the holiday, and Rabbi Benjamin’s vest was a lot tighter by the end.  During Sukkot, Rabbi visited each of the families and again had lots of food and his vest grew even tighter.  Until on the last day of Sukkot, one of the silver buttons popped right off his vest.  Chanukah came and Rabbi Benjamin ate lots of latke, and he lost a second silver button.  Spring came along with Passover, and the rabbi lost the last two buttons that had tried to stretch across his growing belly.  He was very upset about how he had ruined his special vest.  So he changed a few things.  He got out and moved more along with his congregation.  And when he tried on the vest for Rosh Hashanah, it was far too big to wear.  But don’t worry, Rabbi Benjamin had a loving congregation ready to help him again.

This book has a wonderful radiance about it.  The heart of the book is really the love felt between the congregation and Rabbi Benjamin.  He is unfailingly kind and giving as are they, perhaps a bit too giving when it comes to the food!  At the same time, the story is a smart and very enjoyable way for readers to learn about the various Jewish holidays throughout the year and the traditions associated with them.  The book has an index of the holidays at the end, including recipes for each holiday.  There is also a glossary of Jewish words.

Reinhardt’s illustrations also capture the loving community on the page.  Rabbi Benjamin almost glows on each page, not only due to his shining yellow vest but also with his popping and vibrant personality.  The diverse ethnicities of the congregation is also appreciated.

A cheery look at Jewish holidays and the bounty of friendship and community, this book will be appreciated by people of all faiths.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.