I finally received my copy of the cutest book of the year. I already talked a bit about Just Being Audrey, so this review won't be long.
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| Side by side with my cellphone so you can notice its size (yes, that's my modern cellphone). |
Just as I opened the package, I noticed it was better than I expected: it has a lovely glossy cover and it was bigger than I imagined, so you can appreciate the marvelous illustrations by Julia Denos even more. Julia managed to capture Audrey's essence so well! Just by watching them you can tell that she did a very in-depth investigation...then you read at the end of the book that she watched most of her films and read lots of biographies. I would have bought Just being Audrey just because of the illustrations.
But then, the text by Margaret Cardillo is very well accomplished too. The book is intended for kids aged 4 - 8, so I think that the essential things, the things that could leave something meaningful for them, are covered. I liked the fact that Margaret emphasized Audrey's humanitarian work and I think that she was very clever to pick moments of her life that talk about the way Audrey dealt with difficult situations (for example, war and how she overcame the fact that she couldn't be a ballerina, etc). I know that little readers are going to admire her and learn from her by reading Just being Audrey.
(On a side note: when I read in the book that the UN soldiers gave her chocolates, I went: "And cigarettes, kids, cigarettes too!". LOL. And then when I read about her role in B@t, a "party girl", I went "That's a great euphemism!").
So, if you have little kids, I really recommend this book. It captures Audrey's essence. And if you don't have children, buy it anyway. It's so cute :)
PS: The book for my next review is one I wasn't expecting to read. I even had to press "pause" in Robert Mitchum's bio. I'll tell you the story in a few days.
PS: The book for my next review is one I wasn't expecting to read. I even had to press "pause" in Robert Mitchum's bio. I'll tell you the story in a few days.
I saw some illustrations for this book and they look incredible. I love how they even copied a lot of her famous outfits.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to hear about the new book!
Clara, as an Audrey Hepburn fan who loves to read and write, and wants to encourage my child to read and write (her ADHD and Asperger's Syndrome makes it hard for her to focus, but she keeps improving every year), I'll be on the lookout for JUST BEING AUDREY! My daughter and I are both visual thinkers (hence our love of movies), so we're looking forward to reading it! By the way, please forgive my ignorance, but I keep meaning to ask you: how did Audrey Hepburn manage to tame her deer to the point that the critter was docile enough to lie on the couch with her? :-)
ReplyDeleteAudrey: Yes, they're really incredible, I love the illustrations! And the way she captured her gestures in the different stages of her life is perfect! Thanks for stopping by, Audrey!
ReplyDeleteDorianTB: Well, I guess I already answered your question ;) About the book, yes, you should totally get it, I'm sure you and your daughter will enjoy it :) Thank you for your nice comment!