Review of The Movie Chair

[Hy Be]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Movie Chair" by Shari Borkin.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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The book "The Movie Chair" by Shari Borkin is a touching and interactive children's book where a masterly author manages to breathe life into objects with humanly felt emotions. The story of love, value, and belonging is told through the eyes of an orange chair located in a movie theater. 

This orange chair is virtually the main character in the story and has feelings like a human being. The chair holds a personality inside itself, rather than being some piece of furniture. So it enjoyed the time when children came to the theater and sat down on it, feeling its great purpose and joyful significance. Borkin masterfully allows this chair to speak out for young readers, giving them the chance to look at their world from an unexpected and quite unique point of view.

And things are just getting thicker as news just in: theaters to renovate. True to form, with modernization comes quite unsettling news: all the sets of old chairs are going to be replaced, including our bright orange friend. This piece of news brought some suspense to the story, an element of emotion that the whole chair was now going to face as it realized the horrid reality of soon being obsolete.

What certainly "The Movie Chair" does most is that Borkin allows the chair to utilize its emotional journey to have a conversation about the themes of being discarded and the desire that any way you slice it has meaning to a child. The story is beautifully paced with that all-important tension that will allow young readers to be completely drawn into the storyline and yet enough reassurance to take them gently through what might be disturbing themes.
All the illustrations go along with the text, underline very well the emotional background of the story, and let us feel the characters and the settings. Each page is filled with color and personality, giving children reading an enjoyable experience and drawing them into the story even more.
Borkin writes superbly in each of these aspects: the scenarios are clear and imaginative, perfectly suitable for the target group; the dialogue is taut and utterly accessible, so much so that even small children will never find any trouble following the play. The editing is exceptional, with no grammatical errors to distract from the immersive experience of the story.

One of the most admirable aspects of this book is its ability to teach empathy and emotional intelligence.

Through attributing human feelings to an immovable object, Borkin provides an avenue for pragmatically speaking about sensitivity and understanding. That would be a perfect way to make children think about others' feelings when talking about even the most minor thing—a chair. Moreover, "The Movie Chair" does not just stop at telling a good story; it also imparts valuable life lessons. It tells of the idea that everybody has value, and no matter how little value we feel is placed upon us or how we may feel "over the hill," there is a place for us where our presence and services would be welcome and valued. This is a powerful message for children who are at a stage in their lives where fitting in feels critically important.

There is really nothing to dislike about this book. It pretty much follows everything, in both the making-it-fun-for-children departments and the educational ones. Undoubtedly, children of every stripe will find appeal in this book with powerful, clean-lined storytelling and humor that hits its mark. In summary, "The Movie Chair" by Shari Borkin is a well-written and summarized children's book, clearly defining vivid emotion, narrative, and moral lessons in a very crispy and engaging format. I rate this book five out of five stars for Borkin's skills in storytelling and editing, a must-have on your children's bookshelves.

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The Movie Chair
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