Elisa Ramirez Ramirez itibaren 29020 Rovaiola PC, İtalya
I enjoyed reading this book and found the ideas and imagination used in it very thoughtful and creative.
Too often a kid will walk into a library, ask for a book on drawing, and be taken to the requisite “How to Draw a [Blank:]” section on the shelves. These books are the usual standard fare. They all begin by saying you should draw a circle over another circle, etc. etc. Sometimes you’ll get something a little more high end like Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain and once in a while an old book on drawing comics will be stuck in between the books on the shelves, dilapidated and well worth replacing with something new and fresh. So it is that I am mighty pleased to announce the following: something new and fresh. When three cartooning experts got together to teach kids about cartoons, the result became Adventures in Cartooning. Fun, funny, and strangely informative, you can just consider this as a kind of Understanding Comics” for the under twelve set. When a princess is determined to be missing from her tower, there’s only one place she could have gone. Clearly an evil dragon has kidnapped her. So it is that a brave knight and the brave knight’s not particularly brave horse Edward set forth to find the dragon and rescue the lady fair. Aiding them is a Magic Cartooning Elf who strikes up a deal with the knight. If the elf is allowed to tell the knight about making comics then he will also lead the rescue party to the dragon. The result is that the elf teaches the knight and the readers about elements like panels, the size of text, backgrounds, and the fact that a reader will only believe what a character tells them to believe. By the end the knight (who is revealed to be the princess in disguise) rescues a batch of enchanted knights from the dragon and even Edward helps to save the day in the end. What’s so great about this book is that it is directed towards those kids with limited skills. Don’t get me wrong... it’s also useful for those kids who are superb artists and need an introduction to the world of cartooning, but what I find so remarkable is that the book makes it clear that anyone can be a cartoonist. Child readers aren’t limited by their artistic skills but by their imaginations. So the lesson to be learned from this book is basically that if you’re willing to take the time to learn the basics, you too can make your own original cartoons. There’s even an example in the back that’s childish enough to make kids feel okay about making their own cartoons, but that also makes use of backgrounds, different sized panels, and a coherent little story. This isn’t to say that Sturm, Arnold, and Frederick-Frost don’t belie the seemingly simple format with some clever touches of their own. Pay close attention and you’ll see the panels moving downward to suit the story or zeroing in on specific details to set a scene. It’s a subtle mix of looking easy while being sophisticated. At the back of the book there are easy sections on “cartooning basics”. These pages cover panels, word/thought balloons, and the ways in which certain styles are recognized (in America anyway) as emotions or states of being. Edward is a particular good model for these moods since he is essentially expressionless. Without much in the way of a mouth, his emotions are conveyed through scribbles and lines around his body (or through his eyebrows, which appear periodically). Of course, it doesn’t spell everything out. For example, when Edward is feeling particularly frightened his legs will become wiggly lines. And that’s an unspoken symbol we all can understand, even if it isn’t translated at some point. If this book does well it might be worth hoping that the creators pursue it into other avenues. Adventures in Cartooning could lead to something like Adventures in Manga, for example. Though it may initially confuse kids (to say nothing of easily confused adults) with its mix of fiction and fact, Adventures in Cartooning has the ability to convince anyone reading it that making your own cartoons is not only fun but also achievable. A great addition to any collection, whether in a library or in a home. Ages 7 and up.
The genius of this book was that I really felt like I was living a dis-contentious life in a quiet seaside town in the middle of winter. However, I should add that I'm not a big fan of visiting towns in their off-season - whether it be a pier in the winter or a college campus in the summer. It's just creepy. So it's no surprise this wasn't my favorite. I could not pay attention throughout this book and could barely participate in the discussion during book club. Ah well, c'est la vie.
I had the good fortune to read the first edition of "Built to Sell" while the author was in the process of writing of it. I was so excited by it, I stayed up the entire night to finish it... finally falling asleep at 5:00 am, spiral-bound manuscript still clutched in my hands. As a small business owner, this book speaks to me in ways few others do. It captures the experience of being a business owner with insights that are astonishingly "spot on." There were passages in the book that could have been about me, because they encapsulated my own aspirations, dreams ... and frustrations and fears. The book is a parable -- a symbolic novel, if you will, with business teachings wrapped up in it. But please don't judge it as fiction. As fiction it would be ho-hum. As a business book, however, it shines. Let me tell you why this book is so meaningful to a small business owner like me. Starting a business is the easy part. What's hard is getting that business to grow and thrive, and make it beyond the owner-does-everything stage. The startup failure statistics prove this point. The majority of businesses fail within the first five years. The life of a small business owner can be incredibly satisfying ... or a living hell. The difference depends on factors such as whether the business is profitable, versus a daily struggle to make payroll. Or it depends on whether the owner can have a personal life, rather than having everything land on his or her desk and becoming a prisoner to the business. On top of that, the business has the potential to become the owner's legacy and largest asset. But that will only be true if the business can be sold or passed on to children someday -- something millions of business owners dream of. Sadly, though, the typical small business is really an extension of the business owner's services. Without the owner's daily toil, there's nothing that a buyer would find valuable. Far too many business owners never create a business that is satisfying, lets them take time off, or creates lasting value that can be cashed out if they choose to do so. This book is about how to create that business that frees the business owner from his or her chains. It's about creating the business that provides near-term security for employees because it's no longer a mere bad month away from collapse -- and long-term security for the business owner's family because it can provide a comfortable living and potentially be cashed out at retirement, or passed on to the owner's children. This book makes small business owners analyze, strategize and revolutionize their businesses. In particular, it forces the business owner to examine the business model -- a weakness in many businesses. The business teachings in this book are profound and sound. The author speaks with authenticity. I am acquainted with the author, John Warrillow, and know his track record from prior business dealings. He built his own business (Warrillow Company) into something unique and valuable. Then he sold it and moved his family to France to live a dream The second edition is much like the first edition, but enhanced. It also has an implementation guide. We've covered both editions over at Small Business Trends. For more, read the review of the 1st edition and then check out our Q&A with the author. The first edition of this book won our Small Business Book Awards (Editor's Choice) of 2010.