Allen & Unwin
June 2026
ISBN:9781761182945
Imprint:A & U Children
RRP: $22.99
Mime is an art beyond words. It is the art of the essential. And you cannot lie. You have to show the truth.
As a kid, aeons ago, I was completely entranced by Marcel Marceau whenever I saw him perform on our boxy 50s TV set. At that time I had little or no idea about his life story except I remember my Father Bear commenting that Marcel had had a ‘difficult and dangerous war’. How true that statement!
This absolutely exquisite picture book brings that poignant and heroic history to a young audience in a way that is both unflinching but also sensitively written. There is no escaping the grim details of the Holocaust and children become aware of this as they search out various books but this is a gentler way to introduce the topic while, at the same time, celebrating the ability of so many humans to rise above the terror and tragedy of those times. Ultimately, this also gives us all hope for our own parlous global and, indeed national, situation and provides inspiration for us all.
A young Marcel, gifted and artistic, chose to abandon his art studies to join his brother in the French Resistance. Putting his talents to use within the organisation, Marcel created false documents for the safety of Jewish escapees and also began to hone his mime craft by keeping the children he and his group smuggled into Switzerland both quiet and engaged.
Despite his own personal tragedies such as his father, also a Resistance supporter, being arrested by the Gestapo and sent to Auschwitz where he subsequently died, the still young Marcel dedicated himself to the pursuit of the downfall of the Nazis and the succour of his people, especially the children.
Following the war, Marcel enrolled to study mime, taking on board his early fascination with his movie favourites and his mimicking of their art. And slowly Bip was born, inspired by Marcel’s early enthusiasm for Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton and their mastery of the ‘art of silence’. His performances began to draw more and more audiences over many years, and some of us still remember the hilariously ironic moment of his cameo appearance in film in Mel Brooks’ Silent Movie [1976].
The subtle, succinct and sensitive text is so supremely matched by the glorious illustrations with their tiny details as well as a sense of ‘birds eye view’ to see the bigger picture around Marcel’s life and his part in the war.
Marcel’s character, Bip, remains the iconic representation of mime and is recognised in pop culture by many who have never even seen the great artist perform. What a remarkable legacy that is to leave! And with the accompanying backstory to his life, filled with courage and selflessness, this man makes an inspirational figure to share with young readers. There is no hesitation in giving this a 5 🤫🤐🫢 😯😂rating – a book filled with hope, joy, respect and admiration for readers from lower school upwards.
The clip below is an ideal companion piece to this extraordinary book and well suited to either primary or even older students.
Today, my heart and soul lives peacefully for the hope that the 21st century will have to face a great challenge, a peaceful struggle for the enlightenment of humanity.
Just So Stories 
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