lizardgoats's review
5.0
Adorable children's book about the life of Leonard Nimoy and his journey to become Spock on Star Trek: The Original Series. Contains some interesting Trek facts.
Bought as a present for my niece.
Bought as a present for my niece.
ikuo1000's review
3.0
My to-read list is way too long, and I have yet to find time to read Leonard Nimoy's two autobiographies, I Am Not Spock and I Am Spock. When I saw this children's book in the library, I snatched it up, figuring it could serve as a quick introduction and tide me over until I get around to the autobiographies.
It's a decent book, but I'm not sure who the intended audience is. On the one hand, it's a picture book, but I'm afraid I didn't find the illustrations very compelling. They did a great job portraying the content of the book, but they just seemed sad to me. All the illustrations were colored in muted tones, and it looks like many of them were depicting night-time scenes, to fit with the "Reach for the Stars" theme. That darkness - despite the peppering of stars - conveyed a sense of loneliness to me. I do, though, have to give credit to the illustrator for very effectively rendering human likeness; before reading the text on one page, I looked at the accompanying drawing and immediately thought, "What's John F. Kennedy doing here?" - and lo and behold, Leonard Nimoy did indeed have an interaction with John F. Kennedy!
On the other hand, the reading level seemed more appropriate for middle elementary grades. I can see elementary students reading this book on their own, but then I was bothered that the book assumed a certain amount of broad knowledge. For example, the book references "jump shot" and "soda jerk" without any context whatsoever for young readers to figure out what those phrases mean. Maybe it's just meant to be read aloud by older, more knowledgable readers.
I did like the book, and was happy to learn more about how the Vulcan hand greeting was inspired by a Jewish hand gesture - something I was only vaguely aware of before. Also, it was fun to see that Leonard Nimoy's Boston in 1949 included a few places still quite familiar to modern-day Bostonians.
But then - suddenly! - the book was over. It was such an abrupt ending.
The last four pages consists of two afterwords. The first provides more information about Leonard Nimoy's work and accomplishments, and the second was an Author's Note describing the author's personal relationship with Leonard Nimoy. Clearly the story was meant to bring the reader from Leonard Nimoy's childhood to his success with Star Trek, but I think the content of those last 2 sections were just as informative and interesting as the main body of the book.
It's a decent book, but I'm not sure who the intended audience is. On the one hand, it's a picture book, but I'm afraid I didn't find the illustrations very compelling. They did a great job portraying the content of the book, but they just seemed sad to me. All the illustrations were colored in muted tones, and it looks like many of them were depicting night-time scenes, to fit with the "Reach for the Stars" theme. That darkness - despite the peppering of stars - conveyed a sense of loneliness to me. I do, though, have to give credit to the illustrator for very effectively rendering human likeness; before reading the text on one page, I looked at the accompanying drawing and immediately thought, "What's John F. Kennedy doing here?" - and lo and behold, Leonard Nimoy did indeed have an interaction with John F. Kennedy!
On the other hand, the reading level seemed more appropriate for middle elementary grades. I can see elementary students reading this book on their own, but then I was bothered that the book assumed a certain amount of broad knowledge. For example, the book references "jump shot" and "soda jerk" without any context whatsoever for young readers to figure out what those phrases mean. Maybe it's just meant to be read aloud by older, more knowledgable readers.
I did like the book, and was happy to learn more about how the Vulcan hand greeting was inspired by a Jewish hand gesture - something I was only vaguely aware of before. Also, it was fun to see that Leonard Nimoy's Boston in 1949 included a few places still quite familiar to modern-day Bostonians.
But then - suddenly! - the book was over. It was such an abrupt ending.
The last four pages consists of two afterwords. The first provides more information about Leonard Nimoy's work and accomplishments, and the second was an Author's Note describing the author's personal relationship with Leonard Nimoy. Clearly the story was meant to bring the reader from Leonard Nimoy's childhood to his success with Star Trek, but I think the content of those last 2 sections were just as informative and interesting as the main body of the book.
misspentdays's review
Picture book biography that shares how "Lenny's" childhood in a Boston settlement house, his immigrant parents, and his faith shaped him into the Spock we knew. The book also covers his other interests such as photography.
I'm not a huge Star Trek fan, but was honored to meet Mr. Nimoy at a signing at the book store where I used to work. He was one of the nicest men you could want to meet. I feel like this book honors the friendly and kind qualities he shared with us though his art and his presence.
I'm not a huge Star Trek fan, but was honored to meet Mr. Nimoy at a signing at the book store where I used to work. He was one of the nicest men you could want to meet. I feel like this book honors the friendly and kind qualities he shared with us though his art and his presence.
tschmitty's review
4.0
Did you know that Leonard Nimoy once gave John F. Kennedy a ride in a taxi Cab? Fascinating.
abigailbat's review
4.0
A great choice for Trekkies or childen of Trekkies, this picture book biography of Leonard Nimoy explores the childhood and life of this son of immigrants who became a famous TV star and photographer.
jshettel's review
4.0
Wonderful pic book bio about Leonard Nemoy! I learned much about him in this short book.
nerfherder86's review
5.0
Beautiful picture book tribute to the life of actor Leonard Nimoy, famous for portraying "Spock" on Star Trek. Focuses on his childhood and early acing roles through to gaining the Spock role. Last two pages are a nice summary of the rest of his accomplishments post-Spock. The author was a close friend of Nimoy's, his gallerist for his photograph exhibits, so while no book or online sources are given for the book, it's obvious it is all reliable information as he was able to have Nimoy read a draft of it before he passed away. I had forgotten the origin story of Nimoy's "live long and prosper" v-shaped finger Vulcan sign, that it was a Jewish blessing from his Jewish roots. The book really brought tears to my eyes with this quote: (by using that symbol) "He blessed the actors he worked with, and he blessed the audience, and he blessed everyone all over the universe."
backonthealex's review
4.0
One of my favorite memories of my brother is watching old Star Trek reruns together on television. They ran on local stations in syndication then and as far as we were concerned, it didn't matter how many times we saw each episode - and eventually we saw them all. And while Captain Kirk was the lead character of the show, for us, it was really Mr. Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy.
Naturally, when I learned there was a new picture book about Leonard Nimoy, I was very excited. I no longer watch Star Trek (well...maybe once in a while I do), but I was aware of Nimoy's acting/directing career, as well as his photography books. I realized, however, that I knew nothing about his early life, other than the little I had read in his obituary.
Fascinating is written by Leonard Nimoy's good friend and gallerist Richard Michelson, and if Michelson's name rings a bell, it is because he has written his share of excellent children's books besides being a gallery owner. Michelson begins his biography with Nimoy's first stage performance - singing "God Bless America" at a talent show in Boston's West End, where the family lived.
His performance was well received, but Lenny's parents had emigrated to the United States from Russia and were less then encouraging about following his dreams, unlike his Bubbe and Zayde who both advised him to do just that. By 17, Lenny had been bitten by the acting bug and saved all his money to travel to Hollywood and become an actor.
Michelson follows Lenny's acting career as well as his interest in photography but basically ends the book with his role as Spock on Star Trek and the influence of both his hair style for that role and his Vulcan greeting "Live Long and Prosper." The hand gesture that went with it was part of a blessing Lenny saw during a Rosh Hashanah service when he was a young boy. He was fascinated by it and practiced getting his fingers to separate in the middle by taping them together. Who knew it would become such a famous gesture world wide?
Fascinating is a really well-crafted biography that introduces the life of this beloved actor to adult fans as well as a whole new generation of kids. And Edel Rodriguez's colorful illustrations compliment and enhance the text, making it a very accessible book.
Star Trek hasn't disappeared from TV and so neither has Leonard Nimoy. There are also the movies, some of which he was able to reprise his role as Spock. And you may recall he also made a guest appearance as Spock on a The Big Bang show before his death.
This is an insightful and inspiring book about a man who found his passion(s) and successfully pursued them. If for no other reason, it is a book to share with kids today.
This book is recommended for readers age 5+
This book was purchased for my personal library (because deep down, I'm still a Trekkie)
This review was originally posted on Randomly Reading
Naturally, when I learned there was a new picture book about Leonard Nimoy, I was very excited. I no longer watch Star Trek (well...maybe once in a while I do), but I was aware of Nimoy's acting/directing career, as well as his photography books. I realized, however, that I knew nothing about his early life, other than the little I had read in his obituary.
Fascinating is written by Leonard Nimoy's good friend and gallerist Richard Michelson, and if Michelson's name rings a bell, it is because he has written his share of excellent children's books besides being a gallery owner. Michelson begins his biography with Nimoy's first stage performance - singing "God Bless America" at a talent show in Boston's West End, where the family lived.
His performance was well received, but Lenny's parents had emigrated to the United States from Russia and were less then encouraging about following his dreams, unlike his Bubbe and Zayde who both advised him to do just that. By 17, Lenny had been bitten by the acting bug and saved all his money to travel to Hollywood and become an actor.
Michelson follows Lenny's acting career as well as his interest in photography but basically ends the book with his role as Spock on Star Trek and the influence of both his hair style for that role and his Vulcan greeting "Live Long and Prosper." The hand gesture that went with it was part of a blessing Lenny saw during a Rosh Hashanah service when he was a young boy. He was fascinated by it and practiced getting his fingers to separate in the middle by taping them together. Who knew it would become such a famous gesture world wide?
Fascinating is a really well-crafted biography that introduces the life of this beloved actor to adult fans as well as a whole new generation of kids. And Edel Rodriguez's colorful illustrations compliment and enhance the text, making it a very accessible book.
Star Trek hasn't disappeared from TV and so neither has Leonard Nimoy. There are also the movies, some of which he was able to reprise his role as Spock. And you may recall he also made a guest appearance as Spock on a The Big Bang show before his death.
This is an insightful and inspiring book about a man who found his passion(s) and successfully pursued them. If for no other reason, it is a book to share with kids today.
This book is recommended for readers age 5+
This book was purchased for my personal library (because deep down, I'm still a Trekkie)
This review was originally posted on Randomly Reading
verity__'s review
Respectful, precious and accessible to kids, regardless of their Star Trek knowledge.
Illustrations are gorgeous, and themes of immigration, religion, and feeling "alien" in America are jus t as relevant as ever.
Illustrations are gorgeous, and themes of immigration, religion, and feeling "alien" in America are jus t as relevant as ever.
academianut's review
5.0
Just read this amazing children's book biography of Leonard Nimoy, exploring his life as a son of close-knit Jewish Russian immigrants, his early love of theatre and photography that influenced him throughout his life's work, and his unforgettable character on Star Trek. "Fascinating" (perfect title)! Is a phenomenal book, and gorgeous and poignant illustrations by Cuban immigrant Edel Rodriguez complete the portrait of his life. This book is so wonderful - and his life is truly fascinating!!!