Customer Hall of Shame #1

Customer Hall of Shame #1
Blue = Customer
Purple = employee
Italics = Thoughts. Things that have to be kept within the confines of my mind but I really wish I could let them out

Section: Children's
Sex: Female
Age: Unknown
Mode of Transaction: Telephone
Incident:
"Hi. I'm looking for books for and 8 year old on Synagogues in China"
"Synagogues in China? I'm sorry. I don't think we have any children's books on that subject" Is this lady for real?
"Well, can you check?"
"Ma'am I know we don't have any books for children specifically about synagogues in China, or even on Judaism in China. Do you have any titles in mind? If there is a particular book you are looking for I can try to see if I can order it for you."
"Uuuch (sound of irritation in throat). No I don't know of any. You really don't have anything?"
"No. I'm afraid that Synagogues in China is not a very common topic, particularly for children. We have books on China and books on Judaism but nothing about Judaism in China."
"Well. Can't you look something up?"
-Searching on Amazon and Google. Only two or three ADULT books that look like sociological studies that have been published by university presses- "I've tried to look that subject up online but there are very few books about this subject and all of them appear to be for adults."
"Really? Well. I guess I'll have to take my business elsewhere."
You do that lady. You do that.

Zoom!

Several months ago I was finally introduced to the picture book Zoom by Istvan Banyai, a Hungarian born American Illustrator.
Zoom is a wordless picture book that is one of those books that I am not particularly in love with but I will pick it up over and over again. Banyai plays with perception and perspective using illustrations that mimic that of a camera zooming out. Each page is a step further away and the reader (or is it viewer?) makes surprising discoveries. A farmyard turns out to be a toy set on a magazine cover and so on and so forth.

What made me think of Zoom... I love the NFB's (National Film Board of Canada) youtube channel. It is stocked with fantastic animation shorts, new and old. I spend hours glued to the computer watching their films, but more on that later.

I saw this film pop up in my subscription box:

Cosmic Zoom

It just got me thinking. There is something I find very fascinating about perspective. I don't think it has to do with some great epiphany of "oh how great is the universe and oh how small am I" or "oh how fine and simple are the building blocks of life". I've taken a science class in my life...these revelations are not exactly new. Yet, I find myself taken in by Banyai's book and this film. I don't particularly like the artwork or aesthetic of either one but I have to watch or read to the end of both.

Hmmm

On a more interesting note:

Check out the NFB's youtube channel. So beyond awesome: http://www.youtube.com/user/nfb

Also peruse the Tor's (Book publisher) Saturday Morning Cartoon blog. Irene Gallo posts alot of very unique and interesting animated shorts that are available to watch online. It is a dangerous and fantastic hole to fall into and waste time: http://www.tor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=blog&id=9925