Fiction - Animals - Mammals, Emotions & Feelings, Fiction - General & Miscellaneous

Pigmalion

Name: Pigmalion
Author: Glenda Leznoff
ISBN: 9781896580203

by Glenda Leznoff, Rachel Berman

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Overview

This amusing tale, told in tongue-in-cheek fashion, features the lovable character of Juliet, a shy piglet who gets the part of Eliza Piglittle in the play Pigmalion. (Apologies to George Bernard Shaw.) Magical illustrations by Rachel Berman.

Although Juliet the piglet dreams of a life on the stage, she is too shy to audition for parts, until the day the famous director, Monsieur Le Cochon, arrives in town to cast a production of "Pigmalion."

Synopsis

Although Juliet the piglet dreams of a life on the stage, she is too shy to audition for parts, until the day the famous director, Monsieur Le Cochon, arrives in town to cast ...

Publishers Weekly

Juliet the piglet knows she is destined for the stage, but there's a problem: she suffers from stage fright. Learning that the dashing porcine director, Monsieur Le Cochon, is to direct a production of George Barnyard Shaw's "Pigmalion" in her small town, she attends auditions for the role of Eliza Piglittle ("Somewhere in zis very rrrroom is zee lucky piglet who will be my star," Le Cochon intones) but she cannot summon the courage to try out. When the auditions are over, she recites Eliza's lines from her hiding place in the balcony and lands the part. In a disturbing, if not outright confounding, twist for a story about facing one's fears, Juliet, too shy even to appear at rehearsals, avoids the stage until opening night when, of course, she brings the house down. Newcomer Berman refines screenwriter Leznoff's punchy story line with deft gouaches, placing the tale somewhere in the south of France and dressing Juliet and her friends in Proven al skirts and shawls. Monsieur Le Cochon sports Hollywood-issue sunglasses, a red cape and beret, and Berman has special fun with the lighting in the theatre scenes; they look like Toulouse-Lautrecs with pigs. With all the entertainment this volume has to offer, it's a pity the message here rings hollow. Ages 4-8. (Apr.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly

Children's Literature

Shy Juliet Hogsworth dreams of becoming an actress. When the famous director Philippe Le Cochon comes to town to direct a production of George Barnyard Shaw's "Pigmalion," Juliet is too shy to appear at the audition, or even at rehearsals. But the director has heard her recite the starring part of Eliza Piglittle and has given her the role. To everyone's surprise, Juliet overcomes her fears and triumphs. Because of the piggy nature of the characters, the swine-y word play adds fun to the inspiring story, even for those who know nothing about the Shaw original. The full-page, detailed scenes and many vignettes supply character, anthropomorphic settings and the emotions involved in Juliet's quest. The resemblance to the much less reticent Miss Piggy is clear, making an amusing contrast. 2002, Tradewind Books/Interlink Publishing Group, $15.95. Ages 4 to 8. Reviewer: Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-Juliet loves to sing, act, and tap her little hooves off, but she is so shy that when she is faced with an audience, she can't utter a word. While visiting her grandmother in the country, she tends the garden and, in her spare time, dances the entire ballet of Swine Lake, and memorizes Shakespig's Ham-let and George Barnyard Shaw's Pigmalion. One day, the little pig learns that the great director, Monsieur Phillipe le Cochon, is going to bring Pigmalion to the town theater. She desperately wants to audition for the part of Eliza Piglittle but hides in the balcony watching as piglet after piglet auditions, all of whom display a lack of passion and drama. Then the director hears an enchanting voice reciting the lines from the balcony; Juliet agrees to perform, but not until opening night, and she acts with passion and sparkle. The watercolor illustrations capture her fears as she gazes longingly from the darkened balcony into the large theater and her exuberance when she is on stage. Rehearsing for a play without the main character is highly unlikely, but readers will cheer for the shy Juliet as she conquers her fears and surprises her peers with her hidden talents. Children may not catch all of the puns and literary allusions, but they can appreciate the dramatic tension and the success of an unlikely heroine.-Adele Greenlee, Bethel College, St. Paul, MN Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.