Gr 1-3-It is fitting that this superb picture-book biography is short on words and long on visuals. The spare text marvelously captures the essence of the artist, depicting a man whose choice to be silent was born of an awareness of the damages of war. Born in 1923 to a musical family who lived near the French/German border, Marceau idolized Charlie Chaplin and began emulating him at a young age. When World War II broke out, residents of Strasbourg were forced to leave their homes, and later Marceau joined the French Resistance. After the war, he changed his original surname, Mangel, to Marceau "so that people wouldn't know he was Jewish." Marceau studied mime and created the character Bip, whose smashed stovepipe hat, white makeup, red carnation, and sad eyes became known the world over. The stunning oil pastel paintings are as somber, joyful, and expressive as the man himself; they depict him fighting a bull, chasing butterflies, or crumbling in sadness. Covering much the same ground as Gloria Spielman's Marcel Marceau (Lerner, 2011) but in a more compelling manner, this exquisite book has an informative afterword and a page on the art of miming. A noteworthy choice for all collections.-Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
*Starred Review* This handsome picture book tells the story of Marcel Marceau, the maestro of mime. Born in France, he was 16 when WWII broke out and shifted his life. He changed his last name to hide his Jewish identity and worked with the French underground. After the war, he studied mime and created his signature character, Bip. Quotes from Marceau connect the silence of those who returned from concentration camps (where his father had died) with his own choice of silence on stage. Schubert distills his complex life story into a short, pithy text that reads aloud well. While she discusses his art and his worldwide fame, a series of images bring Marceau's movements and emotions to life on the page. Well thought out and varied in composition, DuBois' paintings illustrate the text literally while expanding it visually and emotionally, particularly in the haunting sequence of narrative scenes during the war. An afterword offers a somewhat more detailed account of Marceau's life and suggests activities for children who would like to try mime. Even readers with an unfavorable view of mime as a medium will find plenty to admire in this picture-book biography of the man behind the whiteface makeup.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist
While some readers may know Marcel Marceau's work, they are likely unaware of his WWII heroism. Schubert (The Princess of Borscht) places Marceau's Jewish heritage at the heart of his art. As a young man in occupied France, Marceau helped Jewish children escape, hid U.S. parachutists, then changed his name from Mangel to Marceau to conceal his identity. "I am Jewish. Perhaps that, unconsciously, contributed towards my choice of silence," Schubert quotes Marceau as saying. In the first half of the book, DuBois's (Stories for Young People: Edgar Allan Poe) stately paintings pay homage to Marceau's bravery. In the second, Schubert details Marceau's phenomenal success ("He traveled the world-appearing on television and on stage, for presidents and princesses, kings and queens"), and DuBois's portraits help explain mime to those unfamiliar with it ("He walks against the wind, but there is no wind"). Schubert gives depth and compassion to a performer whose art might otherwise be mistaken for clowning. One afterword provides more information about Marceau; another describes mime and supplies some easy exercises. Ages 4-8. Agent: Steven Chudney, the Chudney Agency. Illustrator's agent: Marlena Agency. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
