Available:*
Library | Audience | Home Location | Material Type | Shelf Number | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... Central | Kid/Juvenile | Open Stacks Picture Books | Open Stacks Kids Book | E MONTS | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Central | Kid/Juvenile | Picture books | Kids book | E MONTS | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Ring | Kid/Juvenile | Picture books | Kids book | E MONTS | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
It's a message we learn in childhood, but all too quickly forget: "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." "Beauty is only skin deep." With its incandescent paintings and imaginative text, Ms. Rubinstein's Beauty shows us just how true these timeless sayings can be. Children will be enchanted...and surprised at every turn."Ms. Rubenstein is a beautiful woman. But nobody knows it." No--they don't notice her wonderful eyes, delicate hands, graceful feet, and kind heart. Something a little strange, a little distracting about her captures their attention instead. But one man--himself a bit out of the ordinary--thinks she's the vision of loveliness.
Pep Montserrat has created a gorgeous tribute to love that looks beyond the obvious--and a picture book as special as its two main characters.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-This book begins, "Ms. Rubinstein is a beautiful woman. But nobody knows it," and the elegantly dressed woman is shown with her back to readers. On the opposite page, she is depicted in close-up, with a fan covering the lower half of her face: "Ms. Rubinstein has very beautiful eyes. But nobody sees them." As the story progresses, readers are shown more of Ms. Rubinstein's lovely attributes, until finally the fan is removed to reveal that she is the Bearded Lady of a visiting circus. On her day off, she goes to the park. No one seems to notice her kindness in feeding the birds, except for the pigeons and Mr. Pavlov, who sits next to her. In this scene, the lower part of his face is obscured by a scarf, while Ms. Rubinstein's face is completely unadorned. The two steal admiring glances at one another, then gaze directly into one another's eyes, and walk away hand in hand. Onlookers do not see the pair's smiles or growing love. They can only gawk at Ms. Rubinstein's beard, and Mr. Pavlov's trunk-he is the Elephant Man of another circus visiting the town. The stylized illustrations in bold and muted hues of red, black, and beige complement the text. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and readers will find much beauty in these characters, and in their story.-DeAnn Okamura, San Mateo County Library, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In a world where fashion labels are carefully scrutinized and plastic surgery is the subject of reality television, appearances matter. Monteserrat (The Musicians of Bremen) takes this statement to the extreme in a tale about society's obsession with looks. The title character's very profession-a bearded lady at the circus-centers not on a particular talent or skill, but on her appearance. And rather than focusing on her fine features, the crowd's interest lies solely in a perceived flaw: a woman with excessive facial hair. Montserrat magnifies this scrutiny on a detailed spread depicting Ms. Rubinstein at the park, with onlookers staring at her. It takes a man masking his own physical impediment to recognize that there is more to the protagonist than meets the eye, and their exchange is mutual: "Mr. Pavlov secretly notices Ms. Rubenstein's small, graceful feet. And out of the corner of her eye she sees him sitting and crossing his legs in a very elegant manner." In a moment of truth, readers' blinders are lifted to see two people appreciating each other simply for who they are. On the final pages, Montserrat astounds readers by unveiling Mr. Pavlov's trunk-shaped nose. For those who feel they may have been duped, perhaps they can understand that there is beauty in truth. Ages 5-up. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Both written and illustrated in a highly stylized, fashion-conscious way, this valentine celebrates the way true love looks beneath surface irregularities. Because she's the Bearded Lady in a traveling circus, no one notices Ms. Rubenstein's beautiful eyes, or "the delicate harmony of her pretty hands when they move, or the special grace that her small feet give to the way she walks." No one, that is, until Mr. Pavlov sits next to her on a park bench. In the illustrations, two slender, elegantly dressed, gracefully posed figures obliquely take note of each other's finer qualities, then, joining hands, stroll through the park, oblivious to the stares of passersby. Montserrat saves a surprise for the end: Mr. Pavlov too works in a circus, and that heavy striped wrap around his neck only seems to be a muffler. Adults will be charmed; children may be amused. (Picture book. 6-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
They are two freaks on display in different circuses. Ms. Rubinstein is a bearded lady; Mr. Pavlov is the Elephant Man with a long proboscis. But when they meet on a bench in the park, they find the beauty and grace in each other, and they fall in love. The double-page spreads, colored with lots of red and black, begin with people gaping in the park, seeing only ugliness. Then the art moves close up to show what Mr. Pavlov sees in Ms. Rubinstein--huge, gorgeous eyes and a lovely nose--and what she sees in him, including his thick, wavy red hair. Everyone feels like a monster sometimes, whether it is because of a zit on the nose or the extra pound on the waistline, and even children who begin by laughing at the strangeness of the characters will eventually grasp the operatic romance of two outcasts who find each other. --Hazel Rochman Copyright 2006 Booklist
