Bonkers Fellini [Hardcover]

Jeanne Titherington (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

He's the friend you've always wanted. He likes what you like, does what you do, says what you would have said if you'd thought of it first. In fact, he's just like you, only more so. That's Bonkers Fellini!

Come along as a small boy discovers how much more wonderful a day can be when Bonkers is there to enjoy it with him.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-Bonkers Fellini is a young boy's imaginary friend. A gray-haired man who is dressed in spats, orange-striped trousers, a purple coat with tails, and a top hat, he looks vaguely like Uncle Sam. When the boy asks Bonkers who he is, he answers simply, "We are two friends," and the companions enjoy a day at the fair. The colored-pencil illustrations are both vibrantly crisp and dreamlike. A cloudless, blue sky is a constant backdrop, and the boy and man are bathed in bright sunlight, suggesting a utopian vision of childhood. The illustrations are beautifully rendered, and the page design is clean and simple. The suggestion is that the child has conjured up the perfect day, but the scenes are sometimes eerie. The fairground is strangely deserted. The flags on the circus tents all say "HA." At one point, the friends are riding large bees with clownlike faces when Bonkers says, "Who you are, I am, too." Though the author's effort to re-create the rich imaginary life of childhood is admirable, some readers may find that the effect is sometimes uncomfortably creepy. It's unfortunate that there isn't a stronger connection between the small toy shown on the title page and the man that the toy becomes. As it stands, this is an odd book that may have a hard time finding an audience.

Alison Kastner, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

In Her Own Words...

"It was never my plan to become a writer and illustrator of children's books. Although I knew from the age of ten that I wanted to be an artist, it took a long time to discover just what kind of an artist I would be.

"When I was in art school, first at Pratt Institute and then at Portland School of Art, I was a painting major. To be honest, though, I was classified as a painting major because no one could figure out where else to put me. At that time I was making Joseph Cornell-like box constructions, with collage, found objects, and drawings. Graduation from art school left me unable to afford a large enough living space to store all the wonderful junk necessary for my constructions, so I devoted myself almost completely to my drawing.

"After exhibiting my work several times during the next few years, I was encouraged by a friend familiar with publishing to try my hand at illustration. On a whim I made a completely unorganized trip to New York, then Boston. Despite the fact that I did everything all wrong, I managed to get my first job illustrating a children's book. I've been illustrating ever since, and now, with the help and encouragement of Susan Hirschman, I am writing children's books as well.

"I grew up in Maine and still summer there, but I presently live and work in Houston, Texas, with my husband, James Nutter, daughter, Anna, and son, John Gabriel. I love what I do and feel truly blessed in the life I have.

"An important reason why I love what I do so much is that it combines so many of my interests: art, of course; language; fairy tales and mythology; day and night dreams; the world of the child. The last, "the world of the child," is a deeply personal interest for me; I think, in a way, that I have never grown up. I guess I hope I never will." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 24 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books; 1st edition (October 16, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688150284
• ISBN-13: 978-0688150280
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 9.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,059,813 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Spiritual Depth of Bonkers Fellini, December 11, 2001

By 

Ann L. Novo (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bonkers Fellini (Hardcover)

Ms. Titherington's illustrations are, as always, superb: colorful and meticulously rendered. Her text, while very spare, has great depth. Read the quote from Charles Wesley which precedes the title page; this will give you a hint of the book's deeper meaning. The little boy is alone--as we all are, ultimately--with himself, with the various parts of his own personality, but also with God. Bonkers Fellini (the Big Fella?) tells the boy, "Where you go, there I go. What you do, that I do. Who you are, I am too. If you ask, I will answer. And when we part, I'm never far..." Whether one prefers a (Jungian?) psychological take on this, or a spiritual one, it is to me a fascinating and subtle introduction to a child of a certain way of thinking about life and being "alone" in a mystical and positive way. Of course there are no other people in the illustrations, despite their setting in an amusement park. The book is about a child's inner life: when you are alone, who is still there?