Shmulik Paints the Town

by Lisa Rose, Catalina Echeverri (Illustrator)

Overview

Israeli Independence Day is coming up and the mayor is planning a celebration. He asks Shmulik to make a mural in the park, and Shmulik agrees. But he can't decide what to paint! Maybe his dog, Ezra, can help!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467752497
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/01/2016
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 10.80(h) x 0.10(d)
Lexile:	AD540L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Lisa Rose lives near Detroit, Michigan. She likes to swim, practice yoga, and eat ice cream, but not at the same time. Her previous books include Shmulik Paints the Town.

Catalina Echeverri, originally from Bogota, Colombia, studied graphic design in Milan, Italy and completed an M.A. in Children's Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Arts. She speaks English, Spanish and Italian. She lives in London.

Read an Excerpt

Shmulik Paints the Town

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By Lisa Rose, Catalina Echeverri

Kar-Ben Publishing, Inc.

Copyright © 2016 Liza Rose
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4677-5249-7

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CHAPTER 1

On Monday, the mayor visited Shmulik the painter. "Soon it will be Yom Ha' Atzmaut, and we will celebrate Israel's independence. Can you paint us a mural on the wall and decorate the park around it?" "Certainly!" said Schmulik.

"Everyone from the town will be there," The mayor went on. "There will be awards and speeches. There will be music and dancing. There will be flags and fireworks. "Wonderful! I can't wait to get started," Said Shmulik.

On Tuesday, Shmulik and his dog Ezra walked do the mural wall.

"I can't think of anything to paint, Ezra. So today I'll just look up at the sky and be inspired by the puffy cloud shapes."

"I'll paint tomorrow, Ezra."

On Wednesday. Shmulik and Ezra walk to the mural wall "I can't think of anything to paint, Ezra," said Schmulik. I'll just take a walk around the park and get inspired by the lovely trees."

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Shmulik Paints the Town by Lisa Rose, Catalina Echeverri. Copyright © 2016 Liza Rose. Excerpted by permission of Kar-Ben Publishing, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

"Shmulik is an artist who's asked by the mayor to create a mural and decorate the town park for the Yom Ha'Atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) celebration. Excited about the opportunity, Shmulik walks the town, searching unsuccessfully for inspiration and finding excuses like drowsiness, hunger,
and taking care of a kitten to delay the project each day, while his loyal and cheerful canine companion,
Ezra, trots behind him, quietly bursting with creative ideas. Ezra dips his paws into Shmulik's paint cans and transforms the park into a brilliant, colorful surprise and ultimately the perfect setting for the festivities. While the story is told simply, Catalina Echeverri's illustrative style makes this selection stand out. Background scenes are depicted in soft hues and patterns of greys, while the artistic elements of the story - Shmulik's splotchy smock, his appropriately messy studio, and Ezra's creations - are done in vibrant colors making a wonderful contrast. Ezra's mural is particularly dazzling, with Israel inspired images like pomegranates, camels, palm trees, menorahs, and children holding Israeli flags,
all depicted in a Matisselike design.



Two concerns for Jewish librarians are the story's ambiguous setting and its questionable authenticity.
While not stated, one would assume from various images that the setting is Israel. Therefore, the choice to make all of the background signage in the town in English except for two lone, identical store signs in Hebrew lettering seems inconsistent. In addition, the last letter of these two Hebrew signs, which are meant to say, 'open,' is inaccurately printed, making the word untranslatable. Other Judaic elements include the brief description of Yom Ha'Atzmaut, Shmulik and Ezra both taking a creative rest for
Shabbat, and the mayor's exclamation of thanks to Shmulik in Hebrew. Children will enjoy Ezra's fearless approach to art, and art teachers may find it can serve as an inspirational classroom tool though discerning Jewish librarians may take issue with some of the details." — AJL Reviews

From the Publisher

01/25/2016
Shmulik is responsible for painting a park mural in celebration of Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israeli Independence Day. The bearded artist heads to the park day after day with his dog, Ezra, but he puts off painting each time, opting to find inspiration in the clouds, trees, or a kitten’s purr. While Shmulik is mired in procrastination, Echeverri (There’s a Dinosaur in My Bathtub) shows Ezra taking matters into his own paws, painting a garbage can, gazebo, and bench. After Shmulik takes a last-minute nap, he awakens to a complete mural—all thanks to Ezra. Echeverri’s bright splashes of color in a gray landscape emphasize the creativity that Ezra, at least, brings to the task, and while the story ends anticlimactically, first-time author Rose hints at the value of doing the necessary work rather than waiting for inspiration to strike. Ages 3–8. Author’s agent: Natalie Lakosil, Bradford Literary Agency. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

04/01/2016
PreS-Gr 2—The mayor hires Shmulik the painter to create a mural in the park for Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel's Independence Day. Waiting for inspiration, Shmulik procrastinates all week, but his clever dog Ezra saves the day by painting while his master lounges. The park is beautified, and everyone is happy. The text is straightforward and gently comical. The inclusion of Shabbat is a nice touch that adds a Jewish sensibility to a universal theme (getting by with a little help from your friends). Shmulik's enthusiastic acknowledgement of Ezra's help is all the more satisfying because the mayor says, "Everybody knows dogs can't paint." The quirky artwork is the real star of the book. Black-and-white scenes pop where Ezra paints or where Shmulik relaxes in his colorfully spattered smock. Silent clues to the canine's cleverness include his orange glasses and the symbolic light bulbs over his head. The illustrations advance the story in ways that the text does not, showing Ezra's progress and a growing relationship with a stray cat. The connection to Israel and Yom Ha'atzmaut is mild but important because there are so few picture books on the subject. The palm trees and intermittent Hebrew signage indicate an Israeli setting. The mural includes Israeli imagery such as pomegranates, camels, menorahs, and a diverse group of people holding Israeli flags. VERDICT Charming, funny, and visually clever, this book will have wide appeal for Jewish and non-Jewish readers.—Heidi Estrin, Congregation B'nai Israel, Boca Raton, FL

School Library Journal

2015-12-08
An Israeli painter can't muster inspiration for his job, but he gets unexpected help. The mayor wants Shmulik to paint a mural and decorate the town park for Yom Ha'Atzmaut, Israel's Independence Day. Holding his stylized, curvy arms so his hands meet at his chin, Shmulik looks honored and humbled. His studio's a cheerful mess of paintings—on the floor, on an easel, propped behind sinks—and one dog bed holding a smiling, white, long-snouted dachshund. Each day, Shmulik means to begin the public-art project; each day, he lacks inspiration and looks at the clouds or buys a challah instead. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Shmulik, Ezra the wiggly dachshund—wearing orange-rimmed glasses and a diamond-patterned sweater—is hard at work. Ezra completes the project, and the fest is a success. Though Rose's text is little better than workmanlike, Echeverri playfully offsets color (Shmulik's multicolored, daub-textured jacket; his rosy pink cheeks; Ezra's paint everywhere) with black and white (a softly nubbed gray rug; plants; Shmulik's pants and hat). One face on the finished mural is brown, though the entire festival crowd is white. A shop sign in Hebrew and the mayor's Hebrew thank you to Shmulik place the town in Israel. Rose never explains Yom Ha'Atzmaut; the holiday is simply present as a premise, implying an audience familiar with Israeli culture and history. Visually dynamic; textually functional. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews