Jean Harmeling

It is clear that this was intended to be a zany parable for children but it was too clumsy to be effective in any of its aims. The characters are all over-simplified ciphers without the clarity of caricature. The unifying theme of Ecclesiastes 3:1 as the framework for an edifying quest was too obvious and too obscure for its audience and tipped into the ridiculous when a symbolic seagull sang the ancient lines. Did it use Pete Seeger's melody? I found myself wondering. The language and its rhythms were effective but without engaging characters or a satisfying plot such technical merit was wasted.… (altro)