Fascinating

October 3, 2016
Michelson (Twice as Good) takes advantage of his friendship and professional relationship with the late Nimoy, whose photographs he has displayed in his Massachusetts gallery, to craft a warm and moving picture book biography that reveals the impact of the actor's family and Jewish upbringing on his life and career. With a knack for elegantly weaving biographical and contextual details into the narration, Michelson highlights young Lenny's early flirtations with the stage and photography, his eventual decision to leave Boston for Hollywood to pursue acting, and the roots of Mr. Spock's famous Vulcan greeting gesture in Jewish tradition. Working in a subdued palette of muted blues and browns, Rodriguez (Sonia Sotomayor) captures the 1930sâ1940s Boston of Nimoy's childhood and creates instantly recognizable images of the adult actor in the role of Star Trek's Spock in flat, posterlike images softened by gauzy, weathered texturing. Closing notes offer additional insights into the actor's life and legacy, and also reveal that Nimoy himself approved and offered suggestions on the manuscript before his death in 2015. Ages 4â8. Illustrator's agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties.

November 1, 2016

Gr 2-4-Written from the perspective of a young Leonard "Lenny" Nimoy, this title begins in 1939, when the Star Trek actor was in the third grade, and emphasizes the importance of family and theater in Nimoy's early life. Kids will learn how his success did not come overnight: a simple but effective lesson on persistence and perseverance. The book is illustrated in a sepialike tone, lending the volume a historic feeling. The signature blue of Spock's uniform is also prevalent in many of the images. Although this biography would work well as an independent read, it could also be a great option for group read-alouds because of the focus on Nimoy's childhood. VERDICT In the words of Spock, "Live long and prosper." Recommended wherever Trekkies roam.-Robin Sofge, Alexandria Library, VA

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from January 1, 2017
Adam Sandler's "The Chanukah Song" reminds us: "You can spin a dreidel / with Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock--both Jewish!" Michelson delves a little deeper in his picture-book biography of Spock-portrayer Leonard Nimoy, focusing on Nimoy's upbringing in an observant Jewish household in Boston, his rise to fame on Star Trek, and the backstory behind that famous "Live long and prosper" Vulcan hand symbol (repurposed by Nimoy from, fascinatingly, a Jewish prayer gesture). We learn about young Lenny's early jobs (newsboy, door-to-door salesman, cab driver), his steady acting work pre-Star Trek, and his interest in photography from an early age (in later life, Nimoy became a noted fine-art photographer; author Michelson was his gallerist). Michelson's text is warm and anecdotal. Nimoy passed away in 2015, and according to the appended author's note, "the last conversation [they] had was about this book." Rodriguez's unfussy illustrations, in sepia browns and out-of-this-world blues, reflect both the time period and the Trekkie universe. The closing image of Nimoy as Spock--pointy ears, straight-across haircut, angled eyebrows--is iconic without being imitative. An unadorned, scientific-looking sans serif font is the logical choice. elissa gershowitz

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2017
Adam Sandler's "The Chanukah Song" reminds us: "You can spin a dreidel / with Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock--both Jewish!" Michelson delves a little deeper in his picture-book biography of Spock-portrayer Leonard Nimoy, focusing on Nimoy's upbringing in an observant Jewish household in Boston, his rise to fame on Star Trek, and the backstory behind that famous "Live long and prosper" Vulcan hand symbol (repurposed by Nimoy from, fascinatingly, a Jewish prayer gesture). We learn about young Lenny's early jobs (newsboy, door-to-door salesman, cab driver), his steady acting work pre-Star Trek, and his interest in photography from an early age (in later life, Nimoy became a noted fine-art photographer; author Michelson was his gallerist). Michelson's text is warm and anecdotal. Nimoy passed away in 2015, and according to the appended author's note, "the last conversation [they] had was about this book." Rodriguez's unfussy illustrations, in sepia browns and out-of-this-world blues, reflect both the time period and the Trekkie universe. The closing image of Nimoy as Spock--pointy ears, straight-across haircut, angled eyebrows--is iconic without being imitative. An unadorned, scientific-looking sans serif font is the logical choice. elissa gershowitz

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)