Today is pretty cool because I am training the new guy. This means that I can mostly just hang around and not do a whole lot work. Yeah, that's right, I'm making him do everything: it's called training, people!

So while he's off hard at work I am going to review a picture book. Which, when you think about it, is sort of vaguely in my job description.

Anyways, this one came in last week and I found it rather intriguing. Ms. Rubinstein's Beauty is by Spanish illustrator and first time author, Pep Montserrat. It's the story of Ms. Rubinstein, who is beautiful in several ways that mostly go unnoticed. They go unnoticed because of the thing that is not so beautiful about her. She's the bearded lady in a circus, and no matter how beautiful her eyes are, how wonderful her nose is, how pretty her hands are, and how delicate her feet are, all anybody notices is her beard.

One day, when Ms. Rubinstein has some time off from the circus, she goes to the park. And meets a gentleman named Mr. Pavlov. They hit it off, and fall in love. Here is where the great illustrations come in. Mr. Pavlov appears to have most of his face covered by a scarf. But who cares if you can't see his face, because he loves Ms. Rubinstein, and her delicate feet! Well, the reason that Mr. Pavlov can so easily overlook the beard, is because he has something that one might wish to overlook as well. Mr. Pavlov isn't wearing a scarf at all, in fact, he has a very long and stripy trunk for a nose, and happens to have a job as the elephant man in another circus.

I really like this book. I love that Ms. Rubinstein and Mr. Pavlov find each other and fall in love, I love the woodcut feel of the illustrations, and their autumnal colour scheme, and I love the way Monsterrat has kept the text short and to the point.

Ms. Rubinstein's Beauty written and illustrated by Pep Montserrat
ISBN 1402730632
32 pages