The Life of Audrey Hepburn
September 15, 2020
Audrey Hepburn's life, presented in a temporally unusual structure by her son and daughter-in-law. "I was born on May 4, 1929, in Brussels, Belgium," opens the first-person narration. Newborn Audrey's short dark hair is already arranged in Hepburn's signature pixie cut; her tiny-waisted mother wears a fashionista dress and chic hat even while saving infant Audrey from whooping cough. As Audrey grows, there's a move to Holland, where ice skating is overtaken by war: the Occupation, air raids, and hunger ("the soldiers took all our food. So we ate green-pea bread, dog cookies, and tulip bulbs"). Midbook, the narrative voice changes to the present tense, but it is still wartime. Audrey now rests in bed to "preserve...calories," daydreaming--still in present tense--adult Hepburn's (true) future. Audrey playacts "little plays and musicals" (illustrated as her most acclaimed future roles); raises kids (dolls, stuffed animals); and engages in charitable work. The illustrations, featuring pale colors, white space, and neat, skinny-limbed characters, are whimsical and delicate; a scene of Audrey, hungry, standing in the snow to watch officers feast inside a restaurant renders the soldiers goofy and the overall feeling romantic. Hepburn's adult accomplishments, ensconced inside wartime childhood fancies, sound both milder than reality and vaguer. Readers without vivid Hepburn images already dancing in their minds (that is, most children) will find this bland, with nothing to latch onto. Because child-Audrey never grows up here, her satisfaction at a life well lived strikes a peculiar note. For adult Hepburn completists and their extremely patient children. (afterwords) (Picture book/biography. 4-7, adult)
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October 15, 2020
Grades 1-3 My Fair Lady, Roman Holiday, Funny Face, Breakfast at Tiffany's. Although children won't know about Audrey Hepburn's luminous presence in these and other films, her life story makes a compelling picture book. Much like Hepburn herself, the lovely paintings by French artists Corbasson and Avril manage to be both airy on the page and intricately detailed. During WWII, as a child in the occupied Netherlands, Hepburn endured fear, isolation, and near-starvation. A biography is conveyed through her daydreams of what she hoped her life would be?dancing, performing, becoming famous, having a family, then helping other children?which distract young Audrey as she hides in a basement to avoid bombs, or reads in bed instead of being able to go to school. A color palette featuring shades of blue, pink, and white lends a hopeful tone, promising that better times will come when the war is over. Written by Hepburn's son and daughter-in-law, this loving homage depicts a woman with strength, talent, and compassion for others.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)
December 1, 2020
K-Gr 2-Audrey Hepburn's son and his wife authored this biographical picture book narrated by the subject herself. Hepburn (1929-1993) was born in Brussels, Belgium, and her family moved to Holland, where she grew up in comfortable surroundings. She ice-skated to school in the winter and dreamed of becoming a ballerina. When World War II broke out, Hepburn's familiar life changed. The text lightly touches on some of the experiences that became her new reality: soldiers in the streets, nightly bombings, taking cover in the cellar, insufficient food, and a cold house. The tense shifts from the past to the present as Hepburn talks about reading in bed and daydreaming about life after "the Occupation." The dream sequences are printed in gray ink and depict her ambitions to dance, sing, and act. These sequences also include references to some of her films and her philanthropic work with UNICEF. The text appears on the verso while the colorful, detailed illustrations fill the recto. VERDICT The illustrations will appeal to children, but the story will be appreciated more by adults familiar with Hepburn's Hollywood career, style, and humanitarian work. Purchase where informational picture books are popular.-Maryann H. Owen, Oak Creek P.L., WI
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