School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3--Beloved Julia Child is the subject of this delightful picture book biography, told with lively text and charming illustrations; these latter perfectly capture Child's gangly 6' 2" frame and expressive face (as well as delicious looking food). From a young woman who could only boil water and make toast, to the creator of a wartime recipe for shark repellent, Child only began to appreciate good food during a revelatory meal with her new husband in France, which was, as she described later, "The most exciting meal of my life!" She attended the famous French Cordon Bleu cooking school, the only woman in her class, and later opened her own school with two friends, teaching her students the importance of using fresh, quality ingredients and not rushing through recipes, which she had done in her youth (with disastrous results). Although the text does not cover Child's great success as an author or her many popular TV shows and guest appearances, these are included in an extensive author's note. Prud'homme, who collaborated with her on her memoir My Life in France, is Child's grandnephew. Back matter includes a bibliography of books by and about Child, websites, exhibitions, and a rather complicated recipe for French scrambled eggs. VERDICT So many life lessons here, including one about following passion where it leads, make this an exemplary offering for the biography shelves.--Sue Morgan
Publisher's Weekly Review
Julia Child (1912--2004) and her lifelong love of food feature in this whirlwind picture book biography by Prud'homme, the chef's grandnephew. The book opens with Child as a 6'2" adolescent whose activity makes her "crave food--lots of food." In the first of several leaps, the story then skips ahead to her wartime work for a U.S. spy agency (including a project mixing up shark repellent), marriage, and subsequent move to Paris, where she begins her culinary training at age 37. The story concludes abruptly after Child starts a cooking school with friends, leaving an author's note to detail later accomplishments back in the States, including her television career. Sprinkled with quotes from Child, Prud'homme's prose is at its best describing food ("plump strawberries swimming in pools of whipped cream") and Child's determination, while Green's loose art luxuriates in scenes of the figure surrounded by a colorful assortment of comestibles. Back matter includes further resources and a scrambled egg recipe. Ages 5--9. (Feb.)
