Monsieur Marceau: Actor Without Words - Hardcover

Schubert, Leda

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1596435291 ISBN 13: 9781596435292

Publisher: Flash Point, 2012

Synopsis

Marcel Marceau, the world's most famous mime, enthralled audiences around the world for more than fifty years. When he waved his hand or lifted his eyebrow he was able to speak volumes without ever saying a word. But few know the story of the man behind those gestures . . .

Distinguished author Leda Schubert and award-winning artist Gerard DuBois bring their own artistry to this gorgeously written and illustrated picture book biography.

Monsieur Marceau is a Kirkus Reviews Best Children's Book of 2012

About this title

About the Author:

Leda Schubert teaches at Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is the author of the Roaring Brook Press titles The Princess of Borscht and Ballet of the Elephants. She lives in Plainfield, Vermont, with her husband and two dogs.
Gerard DuBois is a four-time Society of Illustrators Gold Medal winner whose work has appeared in such publications as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time, The New Yorker, and in many books for both children and adults. He lives in Montreal with his wife and two children.

From Booklist:

*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. Grades 2-4. --Carolyn Phelan

About this edition

• Publisher: Flash Point
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1596435291
• ISBN 13: 9781596435292
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: DuBois Gerard