An author’s unusual upbringing and international perspective sows the seeds for a new blockbuster movie.
Baruch Inbar is an award-winning artist, illustrator, writer, designer and children’s book author. Born in Moldovia (the former Soviet Union), Inbar’s family immigrated to Israel when he was 6. Due to various family hardships, he spent many of his formative years (ages 10 to 18) in foster care. The artist’s foster home, where many other children had experienced abuse and neglect, was structured much like a boarding school.
“The foster home that raised me made me who I am today,” he says. “They also supported my education in the U.S. by providing me with a scholarship. They are like family to me, and I never forget where I come from.”
But Inbar’s upbringing also left him feeling socially isolated.
“That inspired me to write my first children’s book, “SNURTLE.” The story revolves around a character who just happens to have a snail mom and a dad turtle. The author hopes that the book inspires children “to love and accept themselves as they are, no matter what.”
He continues: “I value the medium of visual storytelling and mass media not just to entertain children, but also to instill in them valuable life skills that will empower and inspire them to become the best they can be and dream big.”
It follows that this author-turned-entrepreneur also founded a nonprofit organization called Bless The Children Project, which aims to empower children and youth through education about plant-based and sustainable living, creativity and the arts.
But he remains an artist at heart. His visionary re-interpretation of the classic children’s novel, “The Wind in the Willows” attracted the attention of Disney, with which he now has a creative partnership. Inbar’s book inspired a film, now in production at FOX 2000 (a brand within the 20th Century Fox movie studio). The project includes a $150 million budget to re-envision the story’s iconic characters and familiar landscapes.
Inbar considers himself a creative catalyst. He takes pride in helping people create conscious media and content that engages and inspires. An entrepreneur at heart, he has been involved in developing projects in animation, film, apps, toys, games and theme parks and has forged working relationships with such entertainment industry heavy-hitters as Sony, Diesel, Walmart, Plarium Games, Coca-Cola and Lenny Kravitz.
Here, we focus on the two of the three children’s books Inbar authored and illustrated: “Snurtle” and “Thor the Polar Boar.” These creative treasures provide a wonderful, whimsical look into the world of being in-between, and powerful messages about identity and acceptance.
“Dreaming big and going outside of the limitations of what societal norms dictate, is the central message of ‘Thor the Polar Boar.’ My intent was to craft a story that can inspire children to not limit themselves by their environment, community, family background, race, gender etc. and instead envision their life dreams with solid certainty that they deserve great things for themselves and should know that their dreams are 100 percent attainable.”
Baruch Inbar
To find out more about Inbar and his work, visit ThorThePolarBoar.com or look for these titles on Amazon.
