Module 12: Just Being Audrey

Summary: The life of Audrey Hepburn from early days in ballet school to her career in film and beyond. The beautifully illustrated book delves into her development as a fashion icon Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF.

Citation:

Cardillo, M. & Denos, J. (2011). Just being Audrey. New York: Balzer Bray.

Impressions: I found this book to be a perfect melding of art and writing. The watercolor illustrations brought Audrey to life and were the perfect personification of her personality. For a juvenile biography, the book covered all the major points in her life with the same grace that she herself possessed in life.

Reviews:

   K-Gr 3-In this delightful introduction to Audrey Hepburn, readers learn that as a child, she was gangly and imaginative, in a world of her own. When she announced that she wanted to be the prima ballerina of all of Europe, her mother told her that the world was bigger than she was, and to always be kind, a tenet that seems to have stuck with her for life. She was born into a family of some privilege (her mother was a baroness), but their small wealth was no match for the advancing Nazi troops in World War II. Along with her family and 40 others, she hid in a country house with no heat and little to eat. Through the ordeal, she kept dancing and taught the other children. As the war in Europe ended, a UN volunteer gave her a chocolate bar, an act of kindness that seemed to inspire her. After the young woman realized that she would be more suited to acting, her Cinderella career took her from London to Broadway to Hollywood, but the power in this book lies beyond her fame in the spotlight. Her generous humanitarian spirit is seen through her actions and deeds as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF as she used her celebrity as a vehicle to assist others. With a light, sweet narrative style, readers can almost picture Hepburn dancing as they turn the pages. Evocative of the period, Denos's almost impressionistic pen-and-ink and watercolor artwork is lively and colorful. This picture-book biography is a great addition to any collection.


Donnelly, A. (2011). [Just Being Audrey]. School Library Journal, 57(4), 158.

Library Use: I think this would be a wonderful way to promote biographies. Although I don't know how many children know Audrey Hepburn, I think this would be a book that their parents would pick up and share with them. The illustrations would definitely appeal to the "princess" crowd.