Review: The Elephant in the Room by Jack Bender

Jack Bender is probably best known for his work on television shows, including Lost, The Sopranos, and Game of Thrones. It is not as well known that he is also a painter, sometimes working in mixed media.

The Elephant in the Room is a collection of short stories in words and illustrations. The overriding theme is social commentary, and the pieces are told with humor and honesty. The artwork and graphics are gorgeous, and I have looked through and read this book several times already. I'm so impressed with how much Bender is able to say in just a few words accompanied by powerful images.

In "Animal Logic," we get two-page snapshots into the human condition from different animals' perspectives. "Urban Acrobats" is a kind of love story plus a stark look at what happens when conformity is enforced. The highs and lows of a woman's life play out in "Wanda Woke Up" (see the scan for the opening spread of this story; click to enlarge), and "My Wife Was Killed by an Alligator" was inspired by a true event. The final story, "Who We Are," explores what we lose and gain in the journey to self-discovery and adulthood.

A good number of the bold, colorful paintings are clearly influenced by cubism, and all of them are modern. The Elephant in the Room is as much an art book as it is a collection of stories, and it's a book to keep and enjoy multiple times and in different ways. Look at the pictures, read the words, share a thought or two.

Highly recommended for pretty much everyone. Jack Bender is both a great storyteller and an accomplished artist. Buy The Elephant in the Room for yourself and for gifts and think about it as fruitful book club choice.

Note on the Scan: The scan is used here in the context of a review. All rights and copyrights remain with Jack Bender.

Published by Inkshares, April 2016
ISBN-13: 9781941758793
Source: Review (see review policy)
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)

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Imprint Friday: The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt by Caroline Preston

Welcome to Imprint Friday and today's featured imprint: Ecco books. Stop by each week to be introduced to a must-read title from one of my favorite imprints. I know you'll be adding many of these books to your wish list.

Every once in a while I come across a book that is so much fun or so different or so beautiful, I have to tell everyone about it. Caroline Preston's The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt is all three, and it's a book you'll have to own. You'll find yourself looking through it over and over again.

Here's the summary:

For her graduation from high school in 1920, Frankie Pratt receives a scrapbook and her father’s old Corona typewriter. Despite Frankie’s dreams of becoming a writer, she must forgo a college scholarship to help her widowed mother. But when a mysterious Captain James sweeps her off her feet, her mother finds a way to protect Frankie from the less-than-noble intentions of her unsuitable beau.

Through a kaleidoscopic array of vintage postcards, letters, magazine ads, ticket stubs, catalog pages, fabric swatches, candy wrappers, fashion spreads, menus, and more, we meet and follow Frankie on her journey in search of success and love. Once at Vassar, Frankie crosses paths with intellectuals and writers, among them “Vincent” (alumna Edna St. Vincent Millay), who encourages Frankie to move to Greenwich Village and pursue her writing. When heartbreak finds her in New York, she sets off for Paris aboard the S.S. Mauritania, where she keeps company with two exiled Russian princes and a “spinster adventuress” who is paying her way across the Atlantic with her unused trousseau. In Paris, Frankie takes a garret apartment above Shakespeare & Company, the hub of expat life, only to have a certain ne’er-do-well captain from her past reappear. But when a family crisis compels Frankie to return to her small New England hometown, she finds exactly what she had been looking for all along.

Let's talk about the design and visuals before we talk about plot and characters. The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt is exactly what the title promises. The scrapbook pages are filled with Frankie's souvenirs from her high school graduation in 1920 until she pastes up the last page in 1928, on the eve of a new phase of her life. Each page contains vintage items, from movie ticket stubs to photographs, old advertisements, and yearbook photos. Preston haunted eBay and antiques stores as well as her family's attic and memorabilia boxes to find each item placed in Frankie's scrapbook. You can read the whole story on Preston's "How I Made The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt" pages on her website.

Thanks to Ben at Ecco for allowing me to share two color spreads from the novel. The image at the right comes from the beginning of the book and the one at the left from the middle. Don't hesitate to click on the scans so you can zoom in and enlarge them. The images show you the fantastic design of the novel but are completely spoiler-free. Remember each item on these pages is authentic, right from the 1920s—no high-tech special effects, just the real thing.

But what is a pretty book that calls itself a novel if there is no story? Rest assured, Preston doesn't let you down. Frankie is a modern woman who proudly claims to be a feminist and wants to be a writer. Through her eyes, we experience the Roaring Twenties from small town life to women's colleges, Greenwich Village, and sea voyages as well as learn about the era's icons like Lindbergh and Babe Ruth. Frankie is so believable as a naive young lady, you want to warn her of the evils of the big, bad world. Fortunately, the spunky gal can handle everything life throws her as she heads off on a whirlwind adventure.

This is such a visual book, I want to share not only the color spreads but also this short video of Preston talking about the novel and some of the items you'll see in Frankie's scrapbook.

To learn more about Caroline Preston and her other work, be sure to visit her website, which is a visual delight, or check out her Facebook page.

Beth Fish Reads is proud to showcase Ecco books as a featured imprint on this blog. For more information about Ecco, please read the introductory note from Vice President / Associate Publisher Rachel Bressler, posted here on July 15, 2011. Find your next great read by clicking on Ecco in the scroll-down topics/labels list in my sidebar and by visiting Ecco books on Facebook and following them on Twitter.

The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt at an Indie

The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt at Powell's

The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt at Book Depository
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Published by HarperCollins / Ecco, October 25, 2011
ISBN-13: 9780061966903

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Review and Giveaway: Lost & Found by Shaun Tan

Welcome to my celebration of Shaun Tan's Lost & Found, a special collection of three of his illustrated books: The Red Tree, The Lost Thing, and The Rabbits. Although this single volume has been available in Australia, it is only now being released in the United States.

And the timing couldn't be better, considering that Tan recently won the Oscar for his animated film of The Lost Thing.

Let me run you through the contents of this wonderful book and direct you to my reviews of two of the stories. Then I'll tell you about the story I haven't yet reviewed. Oh and I have illustrations, videos, and of course the giveaway!

The first thing you notice about any Shaun Tan book are the illustrations. He uses vivid colors and includes many fascinating details. Every time you look at one of his paintings, you find something new. The image to the right is from The Rabbits (click to enlarge), and the text reads: "They made their own houses. We couldn't understand the way they talked."

I reviewed The Rabbits in 2009. For this book, Tan collaborated with John Marsden (Australian author of the very popular Tomorrow series). Marsden wrote the text, but Tan brought it to life with his illustrations. The book examines the effects of European colonization and the introduction of modern technology on non-Western lands. My review contains some additional images from the book.

Last fall I reviewed The Lost Thing, which explores what happens when a young man opens his eyes and his life to a lost creature. We are often so caught up with the minutiae of our lives that we stop paying attention to what's right there in front of us. The illustration to the left (click to enlarge), shows this clearly. The text reads: "My parents didn't really notice it at first. Too busy discussing current events, I guess." The film from this story won the Oscar.

The tale that was new to me is The Red Tree, which is about a young girl who is feeling displaced and uncomfortable with herself. She thinks that no one understands her, and she doesn't know where she belongs. But if she can patiently wait out the gloom, chances are she'll find a bright red tree growing just for her.

To the right is an illustration from The Red Tree (click to enlarge). The words that go with this image are "nobody understands."

To top off this special collection, Tan included some new illustrations and a personal note in which he discusses the three stories. There is also a note from John Marsden.

Last spring, I was lucky enough to have welcomed Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader to Beth Fish Reads. Her guest post is all about Shaun Tan and contains two videos of his work, including one about The Red Tree. Be sure to revisit that post.

Although I included the film trailer in my review of The Lost Thing, I've reposted it here for your enjoyment. I can't tell you how loud I squealed when Tan won the Oscar for this animated rendition of his book.

And for the giveaway. I am happy to announce that I can offer two--yes, you read that correctly!--two of my readers a copy of Shaun Tan's collection Lost & Found. This is a chance to get three of Tan's books in one hardcover, oversize volume. The dust jacket is embossed, and the paper is heavy and smooth. It's a beautifully produced book from one of my favorite artist/authors. I guarantee that you will love his work.

Here are the details: Because this book has been available in other countries and has just been released here in the United States, the giveaway is for U.S. mailing addresses only. All you have to do to enter is to fill out the form. I'll pick two winners via a random number generator on the morning of March 15. (All personal data will be deleted once a winner is chosen).



To learn more about Shaun Tan and to see his amazing artwork, be sure to visit his website. In the following video Tan talks about his stories and the making of The Lost Thing. The video was recorded before the Oscar award ceremony. (The volume is rather low.)

Good luck! And thanks so much to Scholastic for giving me the opportunity to host this giveaway.

Published by Scholastic 2011
ISBN-13: 9780545229241YTD: 26
Source: Review (see review policy)
Rating: A
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)

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Review: A Nest for Celeste by Henry Cole

Celeste is a mouse who used live under the sideboard in the dinning room of a plantation house outside of New Orleans. When she is bullied one night by the two resident rats, Celeste ventures too far into the house and must race upstairs to avoid the cat.

Fortunately, she is discovered by Joseph, a young teenager who is apprenticed to John Audubon, the famous artist. Both Celeste and the boy are lonely, and they strike up a sort of friendship. Joseph feeds the mouse and lets her sleep in his shirt pocket.

Joesph takes Celeste with him when he goes on exploring trips into the surrounding countryside and lets her sit on the desk when he draws. While Celeste is with the teenager, she has the chance to meet and make friends with several different kinds of birds, including ospreys, swallows, and wrens.

Eventually, she finds the perfect house for herself up in the attic, safe from the cat. She is worried about being lonely again, but thanks to a broken window, her bird friends can come visiting.

Henry Cole's A Nest for Celeste is fiction, but according to the author's afterword, it is true that Audubon and his assistant lived on a Louisiana plantation for several months in 1821. Some of the methods Audobon used to create his famous paintings were less than kind to the birds he immortalized.

A Nest for Celeste provides parents and middle-grade readers with a basis for discussing issues involving friendship, kindness to animals, and the meaning of home. Although the novel is illustrated on almost every page, this is not a picture book or a book for only the very young.

The black and white pencil (or are they charcoal?) drawings are lovely and are in the style shown on the cover. I was unable to find any drawings to share, and the book wouldn't sit flat on my scanner, but the book trailer includes some of the artwork.

A Nest for Celeste was a spring 2010 Indie Next pick for kids. Henry Cole has a website where you can view a different book trailer and see a variety of his illustrations for other children's books. The HarperCollins website allows you to take a peek inside the novel.

A Nest for Celeste at an Indie

A Nest for Celeste at Powell's
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Published by HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books, 2010
ISBN-13: 9780061704109
Challenges: Young Adult, New Author, 100+
YTD: 35
Source: Review (see review policy)
Rating: B

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