Marcel Marceau: Master of Mime

by Gloria Spielman, Manon Gauthier (Illustrator)

Overview

From the age of five, Marcel Marceau knew he wanted to be a silent actor, just like Charlie Chaplin. When World War II intervened, he joined the resistance, helping to get young Jews to safety during this dangerous time. But Marcel never forgot his dream of being a mime artist and entertaining the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781512491197
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/01/2011
Series:	Jewish Heroes
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	8 MB
Age Range:	8 - 9 Years

About the Author

Manon Gauthier lives in Montreal, Canada, where she works as a professional illustrator. A graphic designer by training, she decided to devote herself entirely to books for children in 2006. She likes mixing techniques and media. Her work has been recognized by the Governor General of Canada Awards and has won the Illustration Jeunesse Prize.

Editorial Reviews

…as a read-aloud for older children who will tolerate the format, and with sufficient background information from those versed in the history, the book works, largely on the strength of its remarkable subject and striking visuals.
—The New York Times

Pamela Paul

Manon Gauthier’s softly colored line drawing perfectly capture the gentle spirit of Marcel Marceau, both off and on stage."-The Horn Book

From the Publisher

The legendary mime is introduced to a new generation, though not entirely successfully.

As a child, Marceau loved to silently entertain his friends, like his idol, Charlie Chaplin. During the Nazi occupation of France, Marcel and his brother took on new identities in the French Underground, where they forged documents for Jewish children and helped many to escape to Switzerland. Spielman assumes that her young audience will understand references to deportation and concentration camps; unfortunately for those that don't, her matter-of-fact tone speaks more of adventure than deadly peril. Her tone subtly changes when she lovingly describes Marceau's training and development as a mime and his stage persona of Bip the clown, admiring his skills in the "art of silence" that won him international renown. But here too, comparisons to the Little Tramp and Pierrot may be outside readers' frame of reference. Though the illustrations carefully complement the textual content with period details, Gauthier's cartoon faces are all nearly identical, with only the screen image of Chaplin and Marceau's Bip having distinctive features. A double-page spread at the conclusion provides photographs of Bip in action and is the only clear indication of Marceau's stagecraft.

At its best when the emphasis is on the skill and artistry of Mime's most accomplished practitioner—alas, too much of the book looks elsewhere.(Picture book/biography. 8-10)

Kirkus Reviews