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Picture Books

 Tomie dePaola was repeatedly drawn to outcasts--Oliver Button, Old Befana, the boy with the Indian Paintbrush. Add to this list the little oddball in "The Art Lesson," the younger brother in "Nana Upstairs," lonely Patrick in Ireland.


"The Clown of God" concerns a juggler, Giovanni, whose talent sends him on an odyssey. Because he can perform, he can feed himself. Eventually, losing strength, he drops a ball; the villagers, enraged, throw rocks at him. He concludes that he is past his "sell by" date.

Having taken shelter in a monastery, Giovanni studies a sculpture of a morose Jesus. Giovanni is moved to juggle one last time--and, in response, the sculpture smiles. The End.

Like "Old Befana," this story is slightly mysterious. It's a weird choice for a picture book. I especially like the detail of the villagers' cruelty--many writers would choose to *omit* this from a kid-friendly tale. Additionally, Giovanni dies immediately after performing his last generous act. DePaola seems to say, "The clock is merciless. Remember this. People die."

DePaola was a student of art history; he understood that the monastery would feature art from the *Sienese* Renaissance--not the Florentine Renaissance. DePaola was thinking about Simone Martini and Duccio when he designed his own version of a "Jesus statue." 

Maurice Sendak's new "Hansel and Gretel" was panned this weekend--but we have "The Clown of God" as a consolation.



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