In 2005, a pair of C.M Coolidge’s paintings fetched a handsome $590,400 at auction.
Astronomical art prices are hardly cause for a double-take until one considers that the paintings in question were “A Bold Bluff” and “Waterloo,” two of Coolidge’s famed series of dogs playing poker. And, yes, they were painted, tastefully, on black velvet.
But don’t get me wrong — I come to praise Coolidge, not bury him. In fact, despite the quizzical responses of many houseguests and a very tolerant significant other, I laughed uproariously throughout April of 2006 at the mastiff’s exuberant expression in “Waterloo,” that month’s feature in my C.M. Coolidge calendar.
So, if you, like me, find skilled portraits of anthropomorphized dogs smoking cigars, drawing a straight flush or, more relevantly to this review, chanting the Haftarah to be droll, then you will most certainly enjoy “Alfie’s Bark Mitzvah.”
The plot of this delightfully illustrated children’s book can be summed up in one sentence: Alfie the beagle has a bark mitzvah and all his Jewish doggie relatives show up.
Veteran children’s author Shari Cohen’s sparse prose is written in — brace yourself — doggerel. Not atypically, the book opens as such: “It was quite a Bark Mitzvah in a small synagogue/that day Alfie passed from being a puppy to a dog.”
Cohen’s text is charming enough, though she does see fit to conjure up a Cousin Dora, all the better to rhyme with hora. So, we’re not yet ready to confer an honorary medical degree a la Dr. Seuss.
But for illustrator Nadia Komorova, matriculation to the big leagues is in order. While at times her soft, colored-pencil drawings eerily resemble the large-eyed doggies and kitties you might find emblazoned on a 39-cent teacup in Chinatown, for the most part her clever and obscenely cute renderings of dogs doing Jewish things are a joy.
No, it’s not “Waterloo,” but I smiled and laughed at kippah- and spectacle-wearing Zayde (a Gordon setter) and kerchiefed Bubbe (an Australian shepherd) or a five-piece doggie band at the party (like Davy Jones of The Monkees, the lead dog singer also saw fit to wield a tambourine).
If you wanted to nitpick, you might wonder how a beagle could have setters and shepherds in his bloodlines or question the choice of what appears to be a Borzoi to depict Uncle Lev; it is conceivable the dog’s long, skinny snout could play into the crass Jewish stereotype. And while we’re trotting out Jewish stereotypes, if you believe Jews are smarter than others, it is worth noting that Alfie’s extended family appears to be free of golden retrievers.
“Alfie’s Bark Mitzvah” also comes with a CD containing five songs “based on the book” by Argentine-born Cantor Marcelo Gindlin. Now, I am not qualified to comment on what sort of songs little children may like, but I am equipped to discern what will make adults the age of young parents go insane — and this will do nicely.
Gindlin’s prominent South American accent is a plus on intentionally silly and fast-paced songs; he even sounds a bit like Dr. Nick of “The Simpsons.” But on “You Bless My Soul,” an overblown and monumentally cheesy number reminiscent of Christopher Cross’ worst atrocities, it does not serve him well (and when you’re attempting to rhyme “glory” and “journey” you’re in trouble no matter what).
One good thing about this CD, though — the cover art is stellar.
“Alfie’s Bark Mitzvah,” by Shari Cohen (Little Five Star, 53 pages, $18).