Gene Deitch (1924–2020)

Interesting--full of oddly familiar tidbits, about people and events I've heard of from other people and books. And it's also a fascinating look at life in Czechoslovakia from the early '60s on, from a singular view--that of an American living and working there, but free to come and go. For all that, I'd give it 4 stars. I really enjoyed reading this.

But that singular viewpoint also detracts (not as much as it might, as he is married to a Czech woman, and they do have their share of worries for her son, etc.). Though Deitch does address the different problems the normal Czech-on-the-street may have been facing (as well as some more famous Czechs, like Havel), I often got the feeling that he wasn't really connecting to that.

Also, the book could have used some serious editing. It reads very much like a printed diary, with all the exclamation marks and unexamined (or overly-lovingly examined) pet theories.… (mehr)

"Sylvester and The Magic Pebble" is about a donkey who loves collecting stones. One day he finds a magic stone and is on his way to bring it home when a hungry lion spots him. Sylvester wishes he was a rock, and turns into one. Once he's a rock he can no longer use the magic pebble because he has to touch it for it to work, so he's out of luck. The seasons pass and Sylvester's family is sad that he's gone. At the end of the book they have a picnic on the sylvester rock and wish they had their son back, and just like that he's back.

I would use this book in my classroom because it is a good lesson in family relationships and responsibility.

Recommended ages: 4-8 years… (mehr)