Today would have been Julia Child’s 100th birthday and in honor of that I wanted to share my review of a new illustrated biography, Bon Appetit! The Delicious Life Of Julia Child by Jessie Hartland.
Follow Julia Child—chef, author, and television personality—from her childhood in Pasadena, California, to her life as a spy in WWII, to the cooking classes she took in Paris, to the publication of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, to the funny moments of being a chef on TV. This is a comprehensive and enchanting picture book biography, told in many panels and jam-packed with lively, humorous, and child-friendly details. Young chefs and Julia Child fans will exclaim, “ooooh la la,” about this book, which is as energetic and eccentric as the chef herself.
I love that this book is illustrated because I think it’s perfect for children who show an interest in cooking. The book shows them that through hard work and determination they can achieve their dreams just like Julia did. This is also a quick synopsis of Julia’s life for those {like me} who don’t know much more about her than the fact that she was a woman who had a cooking show.
This book is nicely illustrated and the colors in the photos go nicely together. I learned facts throughout the book about Julia, her cooking, and the time period that she lived in and enjoyed that they were told in story form. For instance, her first manuscript was 800 pages and just poultry and sauces. I learned this tidbit through an illustration that had a group of her editors sitting around the table talking about the book. It was much more interesting than if I was just reading her biography in words.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and found myself laughing throughout it. The book retails for $18. You can find more reviews of the book here.
GIVEAWAY:
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Giveaway ends August 31, 2012 at 1:59pm Central time. US Only.
(Disclosure: I received a copy of the book to review but all thoughts are my own.)