"Just Being Audrey" by Margaret Cardillo, Illustrated by Julia Denos

Image Courtesy of: http://margaretcardillo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/cover.jpg

Bibliographic Citation

Title: Just Being Audrey

Author: Margaret Cardillo

Illustrator: Julia Denos

Year of Publication: 2011

Publisher City: New York

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

ISBN: 9780061852831

Author Website: http://margaretcardillo.com/

Illustrator Website: http://juliadenos.com/

Media Used for Artwork: Watercolor

Copyright 2010/2011

My Top 10 Favorite Picturebooks for Older Readers

Annotation

This is a short biography about the life of the famous actress, Audrey Hepburn.  The focus is on her life outside of film, like her work with UNICEF.  It also shows how her great kindness made her happy and successful.

Personal Reaction

                This is a celebrity biography, but it doesn’t focus on drunken nights or skimpy clothing.  It focuses on the kindness of Audrey Hepburn, and her just being herself.  For older readers who are interested in the lives of famous people I would recommend this to read because it focuses on the work she did outside of film.  Learning about Hepburn’s childhood during World War II where she struggled for food and later her work with UNICEF to make sure no child starves is far more inspiring than hearing about Lindsey Lohan’s latest shenanigans. 

Cardillo constantly reemphasizes how Hepburn was always just herself and because of this she was happy and successful.  Hopefully this will be inspiration for readers who may feel they need to change because they are considered different.  If someone as iconic as Audrey Hepburn can be happy just by being herself, then anyone can.

                Denos watercolor illustrations are gorgeous.  It is amazing how she was able to capture the spirit of Hepburn through her artwork.  The beauty and elegance of Hepburn is translated through the paintings.  There is a simplistic elegance for each painting, just like Hepburn’s style.  One of best illustrations is a spread of the different films Hepburn was in.  They range from the iconic wedding dress from “Sabrina” to the simply black dress from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”