There is definitely a Bemelmans' cult, and some of his earlier work- now out of print- has helped build that enthusiastic corps of admirers. One of my early favorites was My War With the United States, in which a youth from the Tirol found himself in the U.S.Army. Here it is- the first panel of his adventures in this composite portrait. Small Beer is here, too, and The Donkey Inside (possibly the least well known) as it takes him to South America. The more recent I Love You, I Love You, I Love You has some of his most hilarious adventures and misadventures — but, if I remember some of the Barbara episodes in the original volume, this is made up of selections, not the complete book. In addition there are a number of other pieces, including some "Barbara" episodes (one entitled Camp Nomopo, which numerous parents will find appealingly familiar) which I don't remember reading in any previous Bemelmans volume....All in all, varied fare, in the best Bemelmans' tradition. It should make new converts.
Pub Date: Oct. 7, 1955
ISBN: 0670785652
Page Count: 503
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1955
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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