The Saturday Kid

The beautiful, stylized illustrations of the great Edward Sorel not only evoke 1930's New York, but also celebrate the icons and sociology of that place and time. For Sorel, who dedicates the book "To the New York City of my childhood," it was apparently a time of visible class differences (symbolized by neighborhood bully Morty, middle class hero Leo, and drawings of the disdainful rich) and social turmoil (fervent activists lecture passersby near a building with huge NRA signs). Leo is what the movies used to call "a good boy," he diligently practices his violin, and he's grateful for opportunities big (he's filmed playing the violin for Fiorella LaGuardia!) and small (a 20-cent pie at the Automat). Most importantly, the respectable Leo doesn't actually fight Morty, instead, he fantasizes revenge in daydreams reenacting scenes from his beloved Bogart, Robinson, Cagney, and Flynn adventure films. Sorel draws big screen style pictures of these daydreams, placing young Leo en scene with his movie idols. Cagney shoots Bogart and Robinson as Leo handcuffs Morty; Errol Flynn gives a winning smile as he watches young Leo disarm "Senor Morty's" sword with a thrust--of his violin bow. Sorel's pictures replicate the high contrast, angular language of these films. Leo is not himself violent (Bogart, the person, did not really murder anyone). and his daydreams are recognizable escapes into imagined glory. There's a rather old-fashioned resolution to this story as well. It takes place in the exquisitely drawn movie theater, Loew's Paradise. After watching the newsreel of Leo playing before the mayor, Morty's parents congratulate the young violinist: "... [Morty's] mother told Leo's mother how much she wished she had a son who could play the violin." (Ouch!) Morty, scowling, hands in pocket and hunched over, looks away. And though "Leo almost felt sorry for him," his proud, upright posture doesn't look very sympathetic. These are the mean streets of Depression-era NYC, and Sorel doesn't sugarcoat the times. While this seemed a bit harsh and abrupt, it's probably also a more accurate portrayal of "conflict resolution" in Leo and Morty's New York. Sorel could treated this with the modern, healthier, talk-it-over approach, but that wouldn't have fit this particular slice of the Big Apple. An excellent book by a superb illustrator.

Kids enjoy looking at pictures and contrary to popular opinion, usually enjoy learning about the past. THE SATURDAY KID is a book they are sure to love.The story revolves around a young boy named Leo. Leo spends his Saturdays at the movies and often spends his free time imagining he's a part of the adventures he has seen. Leo also plays the violin really, really well. One Saturday Leo gets kicked out of the movie house because of a brat named Morty. Leo doesn't seek revenge, but in the end Morty gets his due and comes to respect Leo (we hope).The story is a good one and has lessons of tolerance and good triumphing over evil. However, the real star of the book are the illustrations. Sorels delightful watercolors of 1930's New York are playful and nosalgic, bringing to life a world that has long since passed away. Saturdays used to be dominated by play and days spent watching movies in theatres more grand than any modern Broadway stage. Ushers used to ush at movies and films were cheaper to watch than a pack of bubble gum. Those days are gone, but are brought to life once more in THE SATURDAY KID.Overall, a delightful book that children will love and one that adults may enjoy even more.

The hero of "The Saturday Kid" is Leo. He's a young man with a gift for playing violin, a WWI pilot's hat, and a taste for movies at the Luxor Theater in New York. He's also got a problem: a bully named Morty is always picking on him. One Saturday, when Leo is engrossed in watching "G-Men" on the big screen, Morty sits down next to him and starts causing trouble of the worst kind-the kind where LEO gets in trouble and is kicked out of the theater! With his vivid imagination, Leo can envision all sorts of ways to get even with Morty; they play out in his mind like the giants of the silver screen.Life goes on, Leo practices his violin and even gets a chance to play for the mayor of New York while a newsreel records the whole event! Proud of his accomplishments, Leo tells his friends all about it, only to have Morty dash his feelings to pieces when he says that Leo is full of baloney. But, sometimes the good guys DO win, and in the end, Leo gets his revenge in a wonderfully satisfying way..."The Saturday Kid" is both beautifully detailed and nostalgic. The book harkens back to the 1930's of New York where the El trains ran high and between the rows of apartments, you could buy a slice of pie at the Automat for 15 cents, and movie theaters were palatial palaces where a Saturday at the pictures was the high point of the week. It's a small bit of American history with a story as old as childhood: the careful, kind child dealing with the unfair abuses of the bully.The illustrations are large and intricate. Loew's Paradise Theater, with it's footmen, ushers, doormen and elevator operators, it's twinkling chandeliers and 4-story tall screen will astonish children used to today's teeny-weeny multiplexes and VCR's. To think that such a place once existed just to show movies!!"The Saturday Kid" is truly a wonderful little slice of history, and teachers could easily form a whole social studies thematic unit around this one book alone. It strikes me as the perfect sort of book for grandparents and grandchildren to share with each other. A triumph of a book, and highly recommended!!

Leo is a young man with a violin, a love of the movies, and a punk nemesis named Morty.This is the perfect book for sharing between adult and child. Have a child read it to you -- slowly, please, so you can study and enjoy Sorel's rich artwork. Sorel is gifted in his ability to create faces full of life, and his renderings of 1930s New York are atmospheric and vibrant. You'll find yourself looking at the pictures again and again.Also recommended: Sorel's "Unauthorized Portraits," a well-printed survey of Sorel's cartoons, covers, and career.