Publishers Weekly
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.)
From the Publisher
"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
School Library Journal
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
Kirkus Reviews
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)
