LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE

Review of THE COLLECTOR OF MOMENTS

A. Buchholz, Quint. 1999. The Collector of Moments. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 0374315205.

B. PLOT SUMMARY
There are two main characters in this Batchelder honor book, the unnamed young
boy in the story and the cultured blonde artist named Max. The boy and his
family live above his father’s hardware store. Max moves in as their neighbor on
the fourth floor and he and the young boy become fast friends. They read, draw,
and sing together. Max becomes like family and anytime that the studio is
unlocked his young friend is free to enter. Max is always mysterious about his
paintings. He fusses over them again and again and when he is finally satisfied he
places them in a white frame and turns the picture side towards the wall. Max
teaches the child his philosophy of art: “One invisible and unique path leads into
every picture and the artist has to find just that one path. He can’t show the
picture too soon, or he might lose that path forever.” When Max moves the
young lad discovers a room full of special paintings created especially for him.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The book is translated from the German by Peter Neumeyer who is an American book author. The writer and illustrator of COLLECTOR OF MOMENTS was born and resided in Germany at the time the book was published. The book is full of dull colored surreal illustrations that are metaphorical in nature. The sepia tones set the pace of the book that is hard to quantify. I think the book is an enigma that one will like exceedingly well or not at all. It would appear to have a small cult following on Amazon.com. if their reviews are taken seriously. The story is odd as are the nostalgic sepia drawings. The color and mood of the book is very muted and somehow poignant. I can’t find anything specific to link the book to Germany or any other country or culture. It seems to me simply an unusual story where both the boy and Max could have been from any culture in the Western Hemisphere.

Trying to ascertain that my instincts were correct that the author, illustrator, and translator did not have nationalist reasons for producing COLLECTOR, I discovered another book that Buchholz and Neumeyer have collaborated on, SLEEP WELL, LITTLE BEAR that also appears to have no characters, dialogue, or illustrations relating to persons of color or specifically to Germany. The COLLECTOR has been translated into many languages so indeed the audience is international. The illustrations in COLLECTOR OF MOMENTS made me think of Chris Van Allsburg’s illustrations in TWO BAD ANTS because in both books the perspective is the key to the art and the story. The imaginary quality of the COLLECTOR reminds me a bit of JUMANJI as well, also by Van Allsburg, because the other worldly feel of the story is even stronger than the unusual feel to the illustrations.

This work of International fiction also won the Bologna Ragazzi Prize. The story transcends nationality and ethnicity and is neither a morality or folk tale. The mood of the story is foggy and gray. It reminds me of two recent adult novels, The Confessions of Max Tivoli by Andrew Greer and Mitch Albom’s The Five People You Meet in Heaven because of the tenor of the story, the romantic notion of heartbreak just waiting to happen and the unusual life of the characters.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
From reviewer Patricia Lothrop-Green, St. George's School, Newport, RI
for School Library Journal: “Evocative is the word here. Despite a lengthy text, there is no plot in this oversized illustrated book. Against the muted, atmospheric backgrounds, an occasional touch of crimson glows as mysteriously as this book.”
Kirkus Reviews comments: “Buchholz has created an intriguing story with illustrations that are surreal and strangely mythic.”

Reviews accessed at:
http://www.amazon.com/Collector-Moments-Quint-Buchholz/dp/0374315205/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-6828923-3424457?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1181836683&sr=1-1

E. CONNECTIONS
Besides the above mentioned books in section C. Children who enjoyed
COLLECTOR might enjoy any of the writings of Chris Van Allsburg.
Children who were interested in the pictures more than the story might enjoy
any of the I SPY books by Jean Marzollo and Walter Wick.

Children looking for other stories about imagination that feature an adult as
well as a child protagonist might enjoy:
Cooney, Barbara. MISS RUMPHIUS. ISBN 0140505393, 9780140550399
McLerrah, Alice. ROXABOXEN. ISBN 0060526335, 3780060526337

Reviewed by Kathleen Richardson Shelnutt, a graduate student in the MLS program at Texas Woman’s University. Professor is Dr. Sylvia Vardell.
June 14, 20007.