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amurray914's review
3.0
Fascinating indeed!
A very short children's book which my 9 year old daughter bought to write a biography book review. The Star Trek bug rubbed off on her from me and Spock is by far her favorite character. The book has some interesting little tidbits, including the origin of the Vulcan greeting. An enjoyable read for elementary school kids and Trekkies alike.
A very short children's book which my 9 year old daughter bought to write a biography book review. The Star Trek bug rubbed off on her from me and Spock is by far her favorite character. The book has some interesting little tidbits, including the origin of the Vulcan greeting. An enjoyable read for elementary school kids and Trekkies alike.
jennifermreads's review
5.0
What an interesting introduction to the life of Leonard Nimoy. I’m married to a Trekkie and I, apparently, need to pay better attention to his musings about the actors themselves. None of this was new to him but I was fascinated (pardon the pun) by the story of the origin of the Vulcan salute. In addition, I was so interested in the story of his immigrant parents and being the child of immigrants. I knew Nimoy was a talented photographer but now I long to see his photographs (and cannot find a copy of his books at a nearby library). This is the perfect introduction into a key player in the Star Trek fandom plus a wonderful story about being the child of immigrants.
drbobcornwall's review
4.0
This is a wonderful children's book that tells us in brief how a Jewish boy, a child of immigrants labeled aliens when they arrived in America from Russia, took on the role of the alien in Star Trek. One of the pieces revealed here is how Nimoy derived the Vulcan salute out of his own Jewish heritage. If you like Star Trek, take a read. It's "Fascinating," and of course a quick read.
lizardgoats's review
5.0
Adorable children's book about the life of Leonard Nimoy and his journey to become Spock on Star Trek: The Original Series. Contains some interesting Trek facts.
Bought as a present for my niece.
Bought as a present for my niece.
ikuo1000's review
3.0
My to-read list is way too long, and I have yet to find time to read Leonard Nimoy's two autobiographies, I Am Not Spock and I Am Spock. When I saw this children's book in the library, I snatched it up, figuring it could serve as a quick introduction and tide me over until I get around to the autobiographies.
It's a decent book, but I'm not sure who the intended audience is. On the one hand, it's a picture book, but I'm afraid I didn't find the illustrations very compelling. They did a great job portraying the content of the book, but they just seemed sad to me. All the illustrations were colored in muted tones, and it looks like many of them were depicting night-time scenes, to fit with the "Reach for the Stars" theme. That darkness - despite the peppering of stars - conveyed a sense of loneliness to me. I do, though, have to give credit to the illustrator for very effectively rendering human likeness; before reading the text on one page, I looked at the accompanying drawing and immediately thought, "What's John F. Kennedy doing here?" - and lo and behold, Leonard Nimoy did indeed have an interaction with John F. Kennedy!
On the other hand, the reading level seemed more appropriate for middle elementary grades. I can see elementary students reading this book on their own, but then I was bothered that the book assumed a certain amount of broad knowledge. For example, the book references "jump shot" and "soda jerk" without any context whatsoever for young readers to figure out what those phrases mean. Maybe it's just meant to be read aloud by older, more knowledgable readers.
I did like the book, and was happy to learn more about how the Vulcan hand greeting was inspired by a Jewish hand gesture - something I was only vaguely aware of before. Also, it was fun to see that Leonard Nimoy's Boston in 1949 included a few places still quite familiar to modern-day Bostonians.
But then - suddenly! - the book was over. It was such an abrupt ending.
The last four pages consists of two afterwords. The first provides more information about Leonard Nimoy's work and accomplishments, and the second was an Author's Note describing the author's personal relationship with Leonard Nimoy. Clearly the story was meant to bring the reader from Leonard Nimoy's childhood to his success with Star Trek, but I think the content of those last 2 sections were just as informative and interesting as the main body of the book.
It's a decent book, but I'm not sure who the intended audience is. On the one hand, it's a picture book, but I'm afraid I didn't find the illustrations very compelling. They did a great job portraying the content of the book, but they just seemed sad to me. All the illustrations were colored in muted tones, and it looks like many of them were depicting night-time scenes, to fit with the "Reach for the Stars" theme. That darkness - despite the peppering of stars - conveyed a sense of loneliness to me. I do, though, have to give credit to the illustrator for very effectively rendering human likeness; before reading the text on one page, I looked at the accompanying drawing and immediately thought, "What's John F. Kennedy doing here?" - and lo and behold, Leonard Nimoy did indeed have an interaction with John F. Kennedy!
On the other hand, the reading level seemed more appropriate for middle elementary grades. I can see elementary students reading this book on their own, but then I was bothered that the book assumed a certain amount of broad knowledge. For example, the book references "jump shot" and "soda jerk" without any context whatsoever for young readers to figure out what those phrases mean. Maybe it's just meant to be read aloud by older, more knowledgable readers.
I did like the book, and was happy to learn more about how the Vulcan hand greeting was inspired by a Jewish hand gesture - something I was only vaguely aware of before. Also, it was fun to see that Leonard Nimoy's Boston in 1949 included a few places still quite familiar to modern-day Bostonians.
But then - suddenly! - the book was over. It was such an abrupt ending.
The last four pages consists of two afterwords. The first provides more information about Leonard Nimoy's work and accomplishments, and the second was an Author's Note describing the author's personal relationship with Leonard Nimoy. Clearly the story was meant to bring the reader from Leonard Nimoy's childhood to his success with Star Trek, but I think the content of those last 2 sections were just as informative and interesting as the main body of the book.
misspentdays's review
Picture book biography that shares how "Lenny's" childhood in a Boston settlement house, his immigrant parents, and his faith shaped him into the Spock we knew. The book also covers his other interests such as photography.
I'm not a huge Star Trek fan, but was honored to meet Mr. Nimoy at a signing at the book store where I used to work. He was one of the nicest men you could want to meet. I feel like this book honors the friendly and kind qualities he shared with us though his art and his presence.
I'm not a huge Star Trek fan, but was honored to meet Mr. Nimoy at a signing at the book store where I used to work. He was one of the nicest men you could want to meet. I feel like this book honors the friendly and kind qualities he shared with us though his art and his presence.
tschmitty's review
4.0
Did you know that Leonard Nimoy once gave John F. Kennedy a ride in a taxi Cab? Fascinating.
abigailbat's review
4.0
A great choice for Trekkies or childen of Trekkies, this picture book biography of Leonard Nimoy explores the childhood and life of this son of immigrants who became a famous TV star and photographer.
jshettel's review
4.0
Wonderful pic book bio about Leonard Nemoy! I learned much about him in this short book.