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Lotsa de Casha

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Lotsa de Casha
The colorful artwork shows Lotsa de Casha's portrait in the middle, flanked by two monkeys on either side. The image is painted on a red background with the book name and author name in cursive script on top and bottom of the page respectively. There is also an illustration of a sun and a moon.
Book cover with artwork by Rui Paes
AuthorMadonna
IllustratorRui Paes
Cover artistRui Paes
Subject
GenreChildren's literature
PublisherCallaway
Publication date
June 7, 2005
Publication placeUnited States
Media type
  • Print
  • audio book
Pages48
ISBN978-0-670-05888-4
OCLC58843456
LC ClassPZ7.M26573

Lotsa de Cashais apicture bookwritten by American entertainerMadonna.It was released on June 7, 2005, byCallaway Arts & Entertainment.The book was written for readers aged six and up. The book's titular character is an Italian greyhound who learns the moral "money can't buy happiness". Madonna drew from her life when writing the story, from denouncing materialism to her motherhood. Portuguese artistRui Paesillustrated the book, and modeled his illustrations onRenaissanceandBaroque painting,and the works of painterCaravaggio.

Callaway hosted a party for the book release at New York'sBergdorf Goodmanstore, where Madonna read the story aloud. She also made promotional appearances on television talk shows and gave magazine interviews.Lotsa de Cashadebuted at number three onThe New York TimesBest Seller list.It received mixed reviews frombook critics,who found some humor in the story, but felt it did not gel with Paes' illustrations, which received positive feedback.

Synopsis

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In a distant land lived a wealthy merchant called Lotsa de Casha. He had everything money could buy, however Lotsa was still unhappy. So he sought out the opinion of all the well-known doctors of the land regarding his misery, but failed to find an answer. One day, his driver told him about a wise old man who lived faraway in an ancient city. Lotsa travels to the wise man who explained that the secret to his happiness was in sharing his wealth with others and putting them before himself. Lotsa was stunned since he had always put forth his own needs first, and became skeptical about the man's words.

While exploring the ancient city, Lotsa saw a man slogging to change the wheel of his car by himself. But Lotsa did not stop to help and continued walking. He soon got lost and was robbed by two thieves who left him penniless. A distraught Lotsa cried for help to a passing driver and realized it was the same man he had seen earlier. The man, who called himself Mister Forfilla, agreed to give him a ride back to his house, but in exchange Lotsa had to work for him. Throughout their journey Forfilla ordered Lotsa de Casha to transport an assortment of things—including chairs, tables, clothing—to people's homes, who all appreciated the gifts. Forfilla explained Lotsa the same thing as the wise man, that sharing his wealth was the key to happiness.

One night as he was driving the carriage, Lotsa was able to put someone else's need before his own by giving his blanket to a beggar who needed it. They finally reached Lotsa's palace and Forfilla confessed that it was his old home before Lotsa had bought it. Lotsa invited Forfilla inside for lunch, being a changed man now.

Background and writing

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See also:Madonna bibliography
Guy Ritchie in a black shirt speaking while holding a microphone.
Madonna dedicatedLotsa de Cashato her then-husbandGuy Ritchie.

In 2003,Madonnasigned a contract withCallaway Arts & Entertainmentfor a series of five children's books.[1]She explained that each book dealt "with issues that all children confront... Hopefully there is a lesson that will help kids turn painful or scary situations into learning experiences".[2]During the promotion of the fourth book in the series,The Adventures of Abdi,Callaway announced the plans of publishing the fifth and final book titledLotsa de Casha.[3]The press release stated that the characters will be portrayed as animals with the central character, Lotsa de Casha, shown as an Italiangreyhoundin the style ofAesop's Fables.[4][5]It was written for readers aged six and up with the moral that "money can't buy happiness".[6]Madonna herself describedLotsa de Casha"as a story that claims that we can all resist selfishness and do something good for ourselves and for others".[7]She confirmed that all profits gained from the sales of the book would be donated to charity.[8]

WithGraziamagazine, Madonna explained that writingLotsa de Cashawas ironic since she felt it was a "parable of her life".[9]The story reflected her own journey from being labeled a "material girl"to being a mother.[10]Like the titular character—described by theAssociated Pressas "a wealthyScroogelikegreyhound "[11]—the singer felt that she had changed from being materialistic. "I spent 15 years of my life thinking about myself, thinking about everything from the point of view of: 'What is in it for me?'," Madonna pondered.[9]Accepting herself as someone "privileged", she realized that "ultimately material things won't bring you happiness. Most very wealthy people are not happy. Why? They have too much of something they don't need, and they don't share it with other people."[12]Lotsa de Cashawas dedicated to her then-husbandGuy Ritchiesince he inspired her.[9]

Design and illustrations

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A group of cartoon animals wearing formal clothing and pointing fingers.
J. J. Grandville's cartoons inspired illustrator Rui Paes' sketches.

According toCommunication Arts,the calligraphy of the book was done byJulian Waterswith Japanese novelistToshiya Masudaas the art director and Krupa Jhaveri as the book designer.[13]The images were illustrated by Portuguese painter Rui Paes, who was contacted by Callaway after seeing his painting inThe New York Times Magazineof aSingeriein Norway.[14]Having established that he would maintain the secrecy of the project, Callaway sent him the story-draft, based on which Paes developed a small batch of sketches. Among them were cartoon-like paintings based onanthropomorphicanimals by FrenchcaricaturistJ. J. Grandville.The publishers liked them and the idea of the main characters depicted as animals were carried on for the book.[15][16]

Paes sketched various aspect of the characters which helped him in understanding the different nuances the story presented. It took him almost two years to finish the illustrations with the majority of the work being accomplished in the final twelve months. Paes worked 12–14 hours per day uninterruptedly everyday which resulted him gettingback painand Callaway sending him anAeron chairto aid him.[15]Madonna worked closely with Paes, supplying him the material to be included in the book. She suggested he should travel toSienaand Rome for inspiration, and sent him drawings by her children for inclusion.[17]The artist researched onRenaissanceandBaroque paintingfor further inspiration, including the works of painterCaravaggio.[15][16]Paes recalled the singer became the inspiration for the image of the wise old man's wife in the story. The animal characters were given as much human qualities and emotions as possible, with hand and body expressions to convey. Paes removed two images from the final illustrations, feeling they were inadequate.[15]

Publication and reception

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Bergdorf Goodman building shot from the exterior opposite street.
The book release party was held at New York'sBergdorf Goodmanstore.

The book was released on June 7, 2005, at a party hosted by retailerBergdorf Goodmanat New York'sFifth Avenue.It was attended by socialites and artists with signed copies ofLotsa de Cashaavailable to purchase for $75, proceedings going toUNICEF.Attendees were dressed up in 18th century garments, depicting characters from the book.[18]According toReuters,the book reading at Bergdorf Goodman "drew puzzled responses from the group of about 25 kids, who appeared to have difficulty grasping the book's morals".[19]Other promotions included book signing atBordersTime Warner Centerand reading sessions at New York libraries.[20]The singer read out to the students ofSaint Ann's SchoolfromBrooklyn Heights,and handed out autographed copies. Tatiana Delgiannakis fromNew York Postnoted that Madonna employed an Italian accent while reading aloud Lotsa's parts.[21]Madonna appeared onNBC'sTodayshow andABC'sThe Viewto talk about the book, and gave interview inLadies' Home Journalmagazine for its July 2005 issue.[22][23]

Lotsa de Cashadebuted at number three onThe New York TimesBest Seller list.[11]Elaine Stuart fromParentingfound humor in the names Madonna gave in the book, like naming Lotsa's castle as "Flasha de Casa" and the mountain on which it is situated as the "Muchadougha Mountains", details she believed would make the readers laugh.[10]Roy Blatchford fromBooks for Keepsliked the story and rated it four-out-of-five stars. He said that the story avoided any cliche plots, "creates a number of original cameos and bounces along with humour and lively dialogue, clearly influenced by [Madonna]'s Italian New York background." Blatchford complimented Paes' images describing them as "striking" and the design as "eye-catching" thus makingLotsa de Casha"a first-class picture book to grace any library".[24]A review inPublishers Weeklycalled the story as "artless fable" but believed that Paes' illustrations improved it with the "tongue-in-cheek homage to classic Baroque painting". The reviewer found that in contrast to the grand images, the story appeared simple and the accented edge on Lotsa's words were "uncharacteristic of a rich gentleman".[25]Delgiannakis complimented the "beautifully illustrated" images in the book but found it to be littered with "preachy factoids" like "Just because something is expensive, doesn’t mean it's worth it".[21]Boyd TonkinfromThe Independentpanned the release, calling it "howlingly egotistical" and a vehicle of "personal gratification" for Madonna, "rather than a virtue in itself".[26]Ilene Cooper ofBooklistsaid that like many other celebrities-turned-authors, Madonna mistakenly thought that she could write books for children.[19]

References

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  1. ^McKinley, Jesse (September 15, 2003)."New Material, Girl: Madonna, a Mama, Starts Writing Books for Children".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on December 29, 2017.RetrievedJuly 1,2018.
  2. ^"Madonna's new book is 'Jewish'".The Jerusalem Post.June 24, 2004. Archived fromthe originalon August 21, 2004.RetrievedJuly 1,2018.
  3. ^"Madonna writes that wealth is overrated".Today.Associated Press.November 11, 2004.Archivedfrom the original on August 1, 2018.RetrievedAugust 1,2018.
  4. ^Redeye, Rita (November 12, 2004)."Lotsa Madonna".Chicago Tribune.Archivedfrom the original on August 1, 2018.RetrievedAugust 1,2018.
  5. ^Baracia, Alexa (November 10, 2004)."Material girl shuns money".London Evening Standard.Archivedfrom the original on November 7, 2016.RetrievedAugust 1,2018.
  6. ^"'Lotsa de Casha' is Madonna's latest book ".Deseret News.June 9, 2005.Archivedfrom the original on August 1, 2018.RetrievedAugust 1,2018.
  7. ^"Madonna izdala Lotsa de Casha"[Madonna released Lotsa de Casha].Radiotelevizija Slovenija(in Slovenian). June 8, 2005.Archivedfrom the original on August 1, 2018.RetrievedAugust 1,2018.
  8. ^"Madonna Launches Children's Book Abroad".Billboard.September 15, 2003.Archivedfrom the original on September 20, 2014.RetrievedJuly 12,2018.{{cite magazine}}:Unknown parameter|agency=ignored (help)
  9. ^abcGannon, Louise (June 27, 2005). "Madonna: 'I've been so lonely much of my life'".Grazia(321): 12–16.ISSN1120-5113.
  10. ^abStuart, Elaine (June 2005)."Madonna On Motherhood".Parenting.Archivedfrom the original on April 12, 2017.RetrievedAugust 1,2018.
  11. ^ab"Madonna Continues Tending 'English Roses'".Fox News Channel.Associated Press. June 17, 2005.Archivedfrom the original on August 1, 2018.RetrievedAugust 1,2018.
  12. ^Shanahan, Mark (June 9, 2005)."Despite living quiet life, Madonna has a lot to say".Boston Globe.RetrievedAugust 1,2018.
  13. ^"Illustration / Books / Entertainment: Lotsa de Casha".Communication Arts.Archivedfrom the original on August 1, 2018.RetrievedAugust 1,2018.
  14. ^Lucas, Isabel (May 4, 2005)."Retrato do portugues que ilustrou Madonna"[A Portuguese man illustrated Madonna].Diário de Notícias(in Portuguese).ISSN0870-1954.Archivedfrom the original on August 2, 2018.RetrievedAugust 1,2018.
  15. ^abcd"Bibliography: Madonna Tribe meets Rui Paes".RuiPaes. 2007.Archivedfrom the original on March 28, 2016.RetrievedAugust 1,2018.
  16. ^ab"Biography and Q&A with Rui Paes".Callaway.Archived fromthe originalon March 13, 2006.RetrievedAugust 1,2018.
  17. ^Reis, Barbara (May 5, 2005)."Português ilustra livro infantil de Madonna"[Portuguese illustrates children's book by Madonna].Público(in Portuguese).Archivedfrom the original on August 1, 2018.RetrievedAugust 1,2018.
  18. ^Robertson, Campbell (June 9, 2005)."Goodnight, Prada. Goodnight, Manolo".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on September 22, 2015.RetrievedJuly 1,2018.
  19. ^ab"Madonna's message: money can't buy happiness".China Daily.June 10, 2005.Archivedfrom the original on June 12, 2005.RetrievedAugust 1,2018.
  20. ^Shearer, Andy (June 7, 2005)."Madonna Brings Lotsa De Casha To Manhattan: Lotsa Follows International Bestsellers The English Roses, Mr. Peabody's Apples, Yakov And The Seven Thieves, and The Adventures Of Abdi"(Press release). Callaway.PR Newswire.Archived fromthe originalon March 13, 2006.RetrievedAugust 1,2018.
  21. ^abDelgiannakis, Tatiana (June 8, 2005)."Lady Madonna's All Write – 'Lotsa' Love For Her New Kiddie Book".New York Post.Archivedfrom the original on February 25, 2018.RetrievedAugust 1,2018.
  22. ^Freydkin, Donna (June 7, 2005)."With 'Lotsa' Interviews, Madonna Back in Vogue".USA Today.Archivedfrom the original on March 24, 2016.RetrievedJuly 31,2018.
  23. ^Walters, Barbara; Jones, Star (June 8, 2005). "Episode: Madonna".The View.Event occurs at 05:00 pm.ABC.
  24. ^Blatchford, Roy (May 26, 2010)."Children's Books – Reviews – Lotsa de Casha".Books for Keeps.Archivedfrom the original on June 9, 2016.RetrievedAugust 1,2018.
  25. ^"Lotsa de Casha: Madonna, Author, illus. by Rui Paes".Publishers Weekly.June 27, 2005.Archivedfrom the original on September 24, 2015.RetrievedAugust 1,2018.
  26. ^Tonkin, Boyd (June 17, 2005)."A Week in Books: Madonna's fifth and final children's parable".The Independent.RetrievedAugust 1,2018.
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