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A Rare Life Well Done: Picture Books and Juvenile Biographies about Julia Child

20 Apr

Last month I had fun helping my son research Julia Child for a Women’s History Month Project (he came up with the title for this post).  He picked her due to his interest in baking and his love of online cooking competition shows.  Julia Child continues her popularity as reflected in the new cooking competition, The Julia Child Challenge, and the dramedy, Julia, which just began airing.  I wanted to share a few of the books we checked out from BCCLS libraries for you to enjoy with your own novice chefs.

Born Hungry: Julia Child becomes “The French Chef”
by Alex Prud’homme
Born Hungry follows Julia on her journey in Paris from a curious foodie to a chef who shared her love of French Cooking with the world.  It is written by Alex Prud’homme, Julia Child’s great-nephew and the coauthor of her autobiography, My Life in France, a great choice for adult fans.

Bon Appetit!: The Delicious Life of Julia Child
by Jessie Hartland
Children can learn about how Julia Child went from being a girl in Pasadena, California, to becoming a spy in WWII, to writing the classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking and becoming a beloved TV icon.  This was my son’s, who loves graphic novels and mangas, favorite with the panel style formatting.          

Julia Child: An Extraordinary Life in Words and Pictures
by Erin Hagar
Another charming illustrated biography, this one features more realistic and less stylized illustrations of Julia’s life. 

Minette’s Feast: The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat
by Susanna Reich
Although this sweet picture book includes biographical information about Child, the true charm comes from the sweet story of Julia’s Parisian kitty companion, Minette. 

Julia, Child
by Kyo Maclear
This fun picture book features a fictional story about Julia Child during her girlhood having culinary escapades with her best friend Simca (based on Child’s friend, French Cookbook author Simone Beck).

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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Comforting Children’s Books: The Year We Learned to Fly and Lost in the Clouds

23 Mar

The Year We Learned To Fly
By: Jacqueline Woodson
Illustrated by: Rafael Lopez
The author of The Year We Learned to Fly, Jacqueliene Woodson, shares with the reader that if you just close your eyes, your imagination can take you out of the darkest places. One of the illustrations in the book displays the generations before us who overcame their struggles by just using their imagination. This book is an excellent read for children who are struggling with a change in their environment, or even stuck in the house on a rainy day. This book lets the reader know that their imagination can be utilized any time they want to escape their reality. This book is available to borrow at our Main and Grand Street Branch. You can also read a previous blog about Woodson’s popular middle grade memoir in verse Brown Girl Dreaming.

Lost In the Clouds
By: Tom Tinn-Disbury
Lost in the Clouds is the perfect book to read to a child who is grieving or is dealing with a loved one passing away. The book is from the perspective of the child character in the book, Billy. The illustrations in the book show Billy talking to a cloud and developing a relationship with the cloud that he believes is now his mom. The book shares the daily emotions Billy and his dad are faced with while grieving the death of his mom. Toward the end of the book, Billy learns that whenever he is feeling sad, he always has the support of his loved ones including his dad. This book is now available at our Grand Street Branch.

Written By:
Vanetta Rivera
Library Assistant
Grand Street Branch

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