|
Title
|
The Jester Has Lost His Jingle |
| Author |
David Saltzman |
| Release
Year |
1995 |
| Reviewed by |
Meridith Herman |
| Review Date |
2008 |
| Type of Book |
Fiction |
|
Death of
|
Any |
| Type of Death |
Illness |
| Target Age |
Young Children (5-8) |
Summary
David Saltzman's story is about a young Jester who lives in a Kingdom
and one day he awakes to find that laughter is no where to be found.
He gets banished from the kingdom and puts it upon himself to find
the world's sense of humor. He ends up in the city and proceeds
to talk to a homeless man and a business man about the difficulties
of everyday life, and how there is nothing to laugh at. The Jester
ends up at a hospital and encounters a girl with a tumor and it
is there that instead of crying the Jester makes her laugh and laugh.
The humor spread throughout the city and the Jester returns to the
castle and tells the king, "Laughter's like a seedling, waiting
patiently to sprout. All it takes is jut a push to make it pop right
out. Don't keep it imprisoned or locked out of sight..."
Quotes
"Laugh! HA! That's a laugh! The best I've had in years! The
world is not a funny place. It's filled with pain and tears. Don't
you read the papers? It's all there in black and white. Everything
is wrong, and jokes won't make it right."
General Themes
Laughter is the best medicine and it is within all of us.
What the Reviewer Liked
Initially this book doesn't appear to be about grief, yet as you
read on you see that it relates to the author's own struggles with
Hodgkin's disease. The author's note is incredibly touching and
through his own challenge he encourages appreciating the time that
we have in this world and instead of using it for tears just to
laugh and focus on creating positive energy. There are always choices
in life and when dealing with a terminal illness it is easy to be
so overcome with angst but this book encourages being open to love
and laughter despite your illness.
I don't think I would have appreciated this book nearly as much
if I hadn't read the author's note.
Writing Style
Author Qualifications
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