News and Reveiws
Red Velvet Media & Holly Stephey
Talk about Band Of Innocence http://www.blogtalkradio.com/redvelvetmedia/2010/06/04/red-velvet-media-angels Interview with author Robert Agnello by Simon Barrett https://www.blogtalkradio.com/simon-barrett/2010/04/10/author-robert-agnello Graphic Novel Review: Band Of Innocence by Robert Agnello
and Lou Manna Before I get completely off track, let me tell you about the book. With such a plethora of entertainment avenues available to children (of all ages) today, the lowly book has taken a back seat. The graphic novel has gone some way to bridge the gap. Using pictures and only a relatively short dialog a story can be told. I can do no better job of describing Band Of Innocence than by quoting from the back cover:
I am by no means a ‘tree hugger’, living off organic nuts and berries, but I am concerned about how we treat our home. The Earth is our Hotel, and we are its guests. Yet we show little respect for this privilege. I am sure that many of you have have been following the tragic story out of West Virginia concerning the coal mine disaster. At least two dozen hard working men have lost their lives. This disaster got me thinking about the other type of coal recovery done in the area, Mountain Top removal, and that is literally what they do! This changes the area permanently. Satellite imagery shows the effect we are having. Or look at what we have done to the rain forests? And how many animal species have we driven to the point of extinction? Robert Agnello wants to change the way the world operates, talking
to adults has I mentioned earlier that they have a plan. I think it would be appropriate to talk about some of their ideas. Band Of Innocence is just the first of a planned series of Graphic Novels. They chose to print it in black and white, at first this may seem an odd direction to take, but there is a reason. They are inviting readers to color a page of the book and send them a copy. The best ones will then be used in a limited edition, and the winners names will appear on ‘their page’. I think this is one of the most creative ideas I have heard in a very long time. What child would not want to see their work in print? I am 54, and I still get a kick out of seeing my name mentioned in a book! In what I think is a very interesting idea, the authors have released a series of cookery books to compliment the story. There are seven in total, one for each of the child superheroes. I have seen one of them, and once again I was greatly impressed. The recipes are child friendly and healthy. You might just be able to get Joey to eat his green beans with it! The authors also made a great decision with the cook book series,
they built them I am hoping to interview Robert Agnello in the near future. He
might just be onto Band Of Innocence is a hard book to explain what age range it
is aimed at. The You can order your copy of Band Of Innocence from Amazon by clicking here. There is also a Band Of Innocence website. Childrens Literature
is the one genre of - Simon Barrett Testimonial by Dr. Gilda Carle (Ph.D.) During a recent speech I was giving to a parents group and their teens, I held up an issue of People Magazine depicting the suicide of a beautiful young girl. What would cause such an innocent child to suffer such depression that she would take her own life? Bullying from her schoolmates. I detailed in my speech that while our culture adeptly teaches the 3 R’s, what is omitted from every school curriculum is a crucial fourth one, namely Respect. As an educator, I wonder how kids can be taught respect for one another when they don’t even know the basics of respecting themselves? Clearly, something is missing, and it has been missing for a very long time. Teaching self-worth and the optimizing of interpersonal relationships is the professional work I do. I need all the help I can get. Robert Agnello’s MOVEMENT, “Band of Innocence,” supports my work. He returns us to the basics of purity and innocence, where the world can be a more loving place. Unabashedly acknowledging that our adults have fallen into darkness, Agnello pursues the children of our society whose minds are still open and fresh to goodness. He offers a comic book, one of a series, that ponders questions such as, “Why do people have to hurt things that don’t hurt them?” The issues raised are probing, and can be used as guides in both classrooms and homes. It is bibliotherapy at its best! Agnello’s goal is for children to discover who they are and what they can become—without the influences of traits such as greed that their parents have adopted. How can kids go about this difficult task? Their credo is “powerful alone, unstoppable together.” Through his materials, children learn the very valuable lessons of teamwork, and apply them to the mandates of the earth, their food supply, and, of course, one another. The greater good will prevail as the children chant, “The sword of truth shall not be silent.” Amid this scenario, I would never have to give another speech about childhood bullying, suicide, or evil. What a delicious goal that could be! I wholeheartedly stand behind this work, and “The Band of Innocence” movement about to explode. In fact, I’m wearing my white band on my wrist right now! Dr. Gilda Carle (Ph.D.) |
