THE BOY WHO COULD SING PICTURES

by Seymour Leichman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 6, 1968

From a lengthly picture story, inspiration without illumination. Ostensibly, when Zoomac the court jester performs, everyone in the Kingdom is happy, and his son Ben, sneaking into the palace one night to watch him perform, hopes to be a jester too. But when Ben goes touring with Zoomac, after the King has left for war, he sees sadness in the faces of the townspeople, and, called upon to sing at the evening performance, thinks his song silly; instead he sings beautiful images against the sadness "" and the people saw. . . everything that he sang."" He becomes famous everywhere for singing away sadness, finally is asked to sing at court; but the faces in the audience are blank and he can sing only of the misery and injustice that he's seen. The King, heretofore buffaloed by ministers Pomp and Circumstance, determines to stop warring and improve the lot of his people. There's no suggestion that Ben can sing at all before he opens his mouth and the pictures pour out -- perhaps a minor omission in view of the vaporousness of the whole. Feudal spoof to anti-war sermon, a fey performance, and the clever illustrations don't redeem it.

Pub Date: Sept. 6, 1968

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1968

Categories: FICTION