Maw Books

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Holbrook: A Lizards Tale by Bonny Becker is such a cute little book about following your dreams even when nobody else thinks you can reach them.

From the dust jacket:

Holbrook loves to paint.  He has to paint.  But no one in the dusty town of Rattler’s Bend understands how important art is.  Hoping to find someone who will appreciate his artistic efforts, the young lizard, sets off for Golden City – where he encounters a colorful cast of characters, from singing snails to streetwise pigeons.  The elegant mink and renowned art patron Count Rainer Rumolde takes Holbrook under is paw and introduces him to the great artists of the day, among them the prima ballerina Margot Frogtayne and the gifted tenor Enrico Esccargot.  But not all that glitters is gold, and Holbrook soon finds himself trapped in a frightening world he didn’t know existed.  His only chance of escape is to rely on the few tools at his disposal – imagination, courage, and newfound friends.

I really enjoyed reading this story of a lizard who loved to paint.  Holbrook has big dreams and living under a rock (literally) isn’t going to make him famous anytime soon.  He knew he was meant to be an artist.  He saw the world like nobody else saw it:

He knew his pictures didn’t look exactly real.  Not like a real creosote bush or a real red-tailed hawk.  But he wasn’t trying to do that.  He had been able to draw how things looked practically since he was hatched, scratching pictures in the dirt with a twig.  He wasn’t trying to show how things looked; he was trying to show how they felt.

The characters in Holbrook:  A Lizards Tale were really fun.  Each one was inspired by a famous artist.  For example Holbrook’s painting which he hopes to enter into an exhibition is clearly Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night.  Margot Frogtayne, is Margot Fonteyn, a famous ballerina.  Enrico Caruso is a Italian singer played by Enrico Esccargot.  Other artists such as T.S. Eliot, Andy Warhol, and Rod McKuen make a appearance.

It’s a relatively quick read that I think both kids and adults will like.  It may introduce kids to new concepts such as sweatshops and will also be sure to inspire the artist in them.  Kids will enjoy this story of following your dreams even when in the face of adversity.

Bonny Becker’s website.  Bonny is also the author of  The Christmas Crocodile (my book review), My Brother, The Robot (my book review), Just a Minute, An Ant’s Day Off (my book review) and her newest A Visitor for Bear (my book review).  It’s my pleasure today to review Bonny’s books as well as host Bonny in a wonderful interview tomorrow.

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