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Julia Child: An Extraordinary Life in Words and Pictures
Julia Child knew how to have fun, and she also knew how to whip up a delightful meal. After traveling around the world working for the U.S. government, Julia found her calling in the kitchen and devoted her life to learning, perfecting, and sharing the art of French cuisine. This delicious, illustrated biography is a portrait of the remarkable woman, author, and TV personality who captured our hearts with her sparkling personality. “Bon appétit!”
Lexile Level: 1030L
Lexile Level: 1030L
160 pages, Hardcover
First published April 20, 2015
2 people are currently reading
613 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
May 14, 2015
I am not a cook and have never been interested in food beyond survival.
I found this book so interesting that I googled Julia's cooking show and called my 6th grader over to watch with me. We now have plans to make shirred eggs and omelettes.
I will also shortly be watching the SNL version of The French Chef with Dan Ackroyd.
It is so great to read about someone who enjoyed life and lived fully.
I found this book so interesting that I googled Julia's cooking show and called my 6th grader over to watch with me. We now have plans to make shirred eggs and omelettes.
I will also shortly be watching the SNL version of The French Chef with Dan Ackroyd.
It is so great to read about someone who enjoyed life and lived fully.
September 2, 2015
Holy cow, man! I have been hearing about this book literally for years, as Erin Hagar is local and a friend of a couple of my co-workers. So I was prepared to like it. And of course, also, it's Julia, and who doesn't love Julia?
But it is SO GOOD. Julia's voice rings out from the pages, whether she is bored doing office work, climbing trees with her childhood friend, or admiring her new kitchen ("it's a wowzer!" she writes in a letter to her longtime long-distance friend Avis DeVoto).
Like other reviewers on Goodreads, I found myself pausing my reading to fire up YouTube to watch her burn French onion soup in her second episode on WGBH, and giggle anew at her forthright manner. I realized that everything my dad taught me about kitchen knives probably came from Julia. I also realized that everything I want to be when I speak in public - relaxed, knowledgeable, warm - comes from Julia too.
There are a lot of books about Julia. This is the one that captures her personality the way her recipes do, the way the cameras did in Boston for all those years. And the art does this too. Magnificent wordless pages give us scenes from Julia's life like film stills - in a muted, nostalgia-tinged palette and with nearly photorealistic detail the content comes forward, allowing us to examine a menu, a camera, a page from her first cookbook. The expertise and sensitivity of this artist is deep and wide.
I am so thrilled that Erin Hagar will be talking about this book at KidLitCon 2015, October 9-10 at the Baltimore HyattPlace Hotel.
But it is SO GOOD. Julia's voice rings out from the pages, whether she is bored doing office work, climbing trees with her childhood friend, or admiring her new kitchen ("it's a wowzer!" she writes in a letter to her longtime long-distance friend Avis DeVoto).
Like other reviewers on Goodreads, I found myself pausing my reading to fire up YouTube to watch her burn French onion soup in her second episode on WGBH, and giggle anew at her forthright manner. I realized that everything my dad taught me about kitchen knives probably came from Julia. I also realized that everything I want to be when I speak in public - relaxed, knowledgeable, warm - comes from Julia too.
There are a lot of books about Julia. This is the one that captures her personality the way her recipes do, the way the cameras did in Boston for all those years. And the art does this too. Magnificent wordless pages give us scenes from Julia's life like film stills - in a muted, nostalgia-tinged palette and with nearly photorealistic detail the content comes forward, allowing us to examine a menu, a camera, a page from her first cookbook. The expertise and sensitivity of this artist is deep and wide.
I am so thrilled that Erin Hagar will be talking about this book at KidLitCon 2015, October 9-10 at the Baltimore HyattPlace Hotel.
May 27, 2015
Amazing pictures and an amazing book. It was short, but had a ton of information and was extremely interesting, coming from someone who rarely reads non fiction.
March 17, 2019
It covered a lot if information in only 139 pages but was very educational. I think it's a good book with nice, detailed pictures that kids will like.
I recommend this book to third through sixth graders.
I recommend this book to third through sixth graders.
August 22, 2015
This story captures Julia Child's fascinating quirkiness in both the text and the delightfully detailed pictures. But the best review I could give this is to say how completely effective it was in conveying Julia's monstrous enthusiasm. So much so that immediately upon closing the book, I watched a clip of the Omelette Show, then made two French omelettes all by myself.
They were delicious.
They were delicious.
June 8, 2015
Though the book on the outside looked like a book for a child I was really glad to receive the book from goodreads. The book was really enjoyable, learned alot about Julia Child I didn't know and had a couple of really good laughs. Julia was far more than just a chef, She was quite the human being.
May 21, 2015
This is a beautifully written book with all the charm and joy of Julia herself. Loved it!
August 22, 2020
While the cover art matches the illustrations in the book, it doesn't make me want to pull it off the shelf. Nonetheless, I'm now in love with all things Julia Child and wanted to read a quick but full kid biography about Child after finishing My Life in France.
This does paint the full picture in a short amount of time and adds pictures as a way to move the story, though I don't necessarily think it worked as well as it could. Maybe a spread would be better? Either way, giving the background of how Child became "Julia Child" in her late thirties and into her nineties shows that you can do and learn anything at any age, you need passion, not prodigy sometimes.
It was a nice biography to continue to learn about her and I was particularly interested in her work with educational TV which I find comparable in a lot of ways to Fred Rogers!
"'I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then I just ate,' Julia Child is often quotes as saying."
"'Oh, there goes the brandy!' she said in that unique voice. 'That's too bad'. Even now, years later, people laugh when they see that. It's so human, so unrehearsed, so honest. Just like Julia herself."
"'Paul Child, the man who is always there: porter, dishwasher, official photographer, mushroom dicer and onion chopper, editor, fish illustrator, manager, taster, idea man, resident poet, and husband.'"
"Julie once said that 'People who love to eat are always the best people.' Clearly, anyone who has been touched by her throughout the years- family and friends, chefs and home cooks, food critics and butchers, almost anyone who's ever taken time to enjoy a lovingly prepared dish- would agree that Julia Child was one of the best people. 'To me,' she said, 'the kitchen has never stopped being a place just full of possibilities and pleasures.' And thanks to Julia, many home cooks young and old feel exactly the same way. Bon appetit, Julia!"
This does paint the full picture in a short amount of time and adds pictures as a way to move the story, though I don't necessarily think it worked as well as it could. Maybe a spread would be better? Either way, giving the background of how Child became "Julia Child" in her late thirties and into her nineties shows that you can do and learn anything at any age, you need passion, not prodigy sometimes.
It was a nice biography to continue to learn about her and I was particularly interested in her work with educational TV which I find comparable in a lot of ways to Fred Rogers!
"'I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then I just ate,' Julia Child is often quotes as saying."
"'Oh, there goes the brandy!' she said in that unique voice. 'That's too bad'. Even now, years later, people laugh when they see that. It's so human, so unrehearsed, so honest. Just like Julia herself."
"'Paul Child, the man who is always there: porter, dishwasher, official photographer, mushroom dicer and onion chopper, editor, fish illustrator, manager, taster, idea man, resident poet, and husband.'"
"Julie once said that 'People who love to eat are always the best people.' Clearly, anyone who has been touched by her throughout the years- family and friends, chefs and home cooks, food critics and butchers, almost anyone who's ever taken time to enjoy a lovingly prepared dish- would agree that Julia Child was one of the best people. 'To me,' she said, 'the kitchen has never stopped being a place just full of possibilities and pleasures.' And thanks to Julia, many home cooks young and old feel exactly the same way. Bon appetit, Julia!"
January 4, 2023
[前言]好久好久以前就一直在讀Julia Child 的相關文獻，但我居然是幾年前在Smithsonian Museum of American History 看到她的廚房展示之後，才開始對她的故事產生興趣。這次這本書借了又還、再借再還，總算在今年初讀畢，也算是很美好的開啟了2023年的閱讀之旅。
[書名] Julia Child: An Extraordinary Life in Words and Pictures
by Erin Hagar (Author), Joanna Gorham (Artist)
[筆記]
Julia McWilliams 年輕時的不拘小節、大而化之，以及家人對她沒有過度的期望（結婚生子）雖然讓她年輕時可以幾乎無憂無慮，但是其實也讓她沒有自己的興趣與目標。
不知道有多少人知道，Julia Child 曾經在CIA 的前身 OSS (Office of Strategic Services) 工作過？她曾接受外派到印度、中國好幾年，從事文書與管理相關工作。雖然她覺得無趣，但也因為在不同的文化、環境中生活過，讓她有對各種不同文化充滿興趣，而也因為在印度而認識了大十歲的Paul Child。
決定結婚的他們，真的太酷了！一般人都會追求婚禮的完美，但是這兩位新人卻在婚禮前發生車禍後，一個拄著拐杖、一個左眼上貼著繃帶，開心地步入禮堂。這時的Julia 34 歲，但年齡對她的生命來說，似乎只不過是別人計算時間的定義，對她，那不算什麼。
結縭後，生活並非完全順遂，他們回到美國沒多久Paul 就在工作中載浮載沉，而Julia則是決心不要再繼續做文書工作了。 身為全職主婦的她，其實原本不太會做菜的，不是燒焦食材、就是做成爛泥，即使如此，之後在法國因為吃到美好的餐點感受到幸福，讓她決定好好學習廚藝。老師對食物的熱情與用心也讓她感染到那份不同的價值，因此Julia 也漸漸愛上長時間在廚房裡做菜的美好感受。
後來寫書、上節目完全不是她原本想過要做的事，但是她對內容的堅持不妥協、以及個性上爽朗不怕錯的亮澤讓當時原本都吃冷凍食品、包裝食品的美國人重新開始認識「飲食」，這也就是為什麼人們為寵愛地稱呼Julia 為美國湯勺之母 (Our Lady of the Ladle)。
這位影響美國飲食的重要人物，最後在九十二歲生日前兩天，因為感染而送醫。從醫生那得知即使治療後也沒辦法恢復從前的活力，讓Julia 決定不受治療，「不能好好活著，那我寧願不必活了。」並在後來小憩中離世。連離開人世都這麼有型，也難怪她的作品本本都啟發著人們做自己。
[隨想]
書中雖然提到Julia 三十多歲前廚藝不精，但是Paul 一直鼓勵她會越來越好的，讓人很感動。因此，後來有機會到了巴黎生活，Julia 居然就毅然決然在藍帶廚藝學校好好學習做菜，也在這樣的投入與學習中，她感受到了快樂！
之後的電視教學雖然是因為出書而來的插曲，但是Julia 一直堅持在教育頻道上工作，那是她的堅持、也是她認為生命價值所在。
作者與繪者在這本書中的合作相當有趣，圖片不是插畫，而是好幾個章節以無文字的圖片展現，選這幾個章節以圖代文非常精彩，無聲勝有聲，像是Paul 看著Julia 的眼神、Julia 在學校上學時遇過的場景等，都相當精彩，這是一本讓人讀完感到幸福的圖文作品。
[書名] Julia Child: An Extraordinary Life in Words and Pictures
by Erin Hagar (Author), Joanna Gorham (Artist)
[筆記]
Julia McWilliams 年輕時的不拘小節、大而化之，以及家人對她沒有過度的期望（結婚生子）雖然讓她年輕時可以幾乎無憂無慮，但是其實也讓她沒有自己的興趣與目標。
不知道有多少人知道，Julia Child 曾經在CIA 的前身 OSS (Office of Strategic Services) 工作過？她曾接受外派到印度、中國好幾年，從事文書與管理相關工作。雖然她覺得無趣，但也因為在不同的文化、環境中生活過，讓她有對各種不同文化充滿興趣，而也因為在印度而認識了大十歲的Paul Child。
決定結婚的他們，真的太酷了！一般人都會追求婚禮的完美，但是這兩位新人卻在婚禮前發生車禍後，一個拄著拐杖、一個左眼上貼著繃帶，開心地步入禮堂。這時的Julia 34 歲，但年齡對她的生命來說，似乎只不過是別人計算時間的定義，對她，那不算什麼。
結縭後，生活並非完全順遂，他們回到美國沒多久Paul 就在工作中載浮載沉，而Julia則是決心不要再繼續做文書工作了。 身為全職主婦的她，其實原本不太會做菜的，不是燒焦食材、就是做成爛泥，即使如此，之後在法國因為吃到美好的餐點感受到幸福，讓她決定好好學習廚藝。老師對食物的熱情與用心也讓她感染到那份不同的價值，因此Julia 也漸漸愛上長時間在廚房裡做菜的美好感受。
後來寫書、上節目完全不是她原本想過要做的事，但是她對內容的堅持不妥協、以及個性上爽朗不怕錯的亮澤讓當時原本都吃冷凍食品、包裝食品的美國人重新開始認識「飲食」，這也就是為什麼人們為寵愛地稱呼Julia 為美國湯勺之母 (Our Lady of the Ladle)。
這位影響美國飲食的重要人物，最後在九十二歲生日前兩天，因為感染而送醫。從醫生那得知即使治療後也沒辦法恢復從前的活力，讓Julia 決定不受治療，「不能好好活著，那我寧願不必活了。」並在後來小憩中離世。連離開人世都這麼有型，也難怪她的作品本本都啟發著人們做自己。
[隨想]
書中雖然提到Julia 三十多歲前廚藝不精，但是Paul 一直鼓勵她會越來越好的，讓人很感動。因此，後來有機會到了巴黎生活，Julia 居然就毅然決然在藍帶廚藝學校好好學習做菜，也在這樣的投入與學習中，她感受到了快樂！
之後的電視教學雖然是因為出書而來的插曲，但是Julia 一直堅持在教育頻道上工作，那是她的堅持、也是她認為生命價值所在。
作者與繪者在這本書中的合作相當有趣，圖片不是插畫，而是好幾個章節以無文字的圖片展現，選這幾個章節以圖代文非常精彩，無聲勝有聲，像是Paul 看著Julia 的眼神、Julia 在學校上學時遇過的場景等，都相當精彩，這是一本讓人讀完感到幸福的圖文作品。
January 7, 2019
This was a lovely, quick read of Julia Child’s life and accomplishments.
I read the entire book aloud to my sister in the car and it took the duration of our 2 1/2 hour drive. We both loved the illustrations and the verve and vigor in which Julia lived her life! Growing up, I only read biographies to complete papers for school, so to read a biography simply for the joy of learning about someone was truly wonderful. My only complaint about the book is that it is poorly edited in terms of grammar. While reading it, I noticed probably 20 typos, which was disappointing. We loved the story overall, though! We plan to make boeuf bourguignon from “The Art of French Cooking” sometime this week!
I read the entire book aloud to my sister in the car and it took the duration of our 2 1/2 hour drive. We both loved the illustrations and the verve and vigor in which Julia lived her life! Growing up, I only read biographies to complete papers for school, so to read a biography simply for the joy of learning about someone was truly wonderful. My only complaint about the book is that it is poorly edited in terms of grammar. While reading it, I noticed probably 20 typos, which was disappointing. We loved the story overall, though! We plan to make boeuf bourguignon from “The Art of French Cooking” sometime this week!
March 14, 2019
I'm sad Hagar's engaging biography is out of print. It was a delightful treat to read. Each section is introduced with a story told through evocative wordless pictures, including a double-page spread showing a portion of a double-page spread in Mastering the Art of French Cooking, lovingly recreated by hand in a warm sepia ink drawing. Hagar's lively text is peppered with quotes from Child herself, and those familiar with Child's cooking shows will surely see and hear her in their mind as they read. Children unfamiliar with Julia will come to know her and may be inspired to look up her videos online.
January 10, 2018
Short but full of information now I understand Julia’s wonderful culinary journey. Now I admire her more and his husband paul! This will be the start of my Julia Child obsession lol
March 29, 2018
Oh, how I love Julia and this book went through her whole story from childhood to the end. Such a fun story.
March 19, 2020
Loved reading about Julia Child's life through this book. The illustrations were super cute as well.
August 31, 2020
Lovely little book about Julia Child.
Read
November 13, 2020Sweet and simple drawings and summary of her life as she began her cooking adventures in France. A lovely addition to my J. C. collection!
November 2, 2024
Beautiful pictures and just right for kids looking to learn more about the amazing Julia
March 5, 2017
I found this book extraordinary (when my original intent was to just skim it with Nora for a school report). The life story from childhood, career details, quotes, and excerpts were all fascinating. I didn't realize she was 36 before beginning her culinary career, which was really inspiring.
April 8, 2016
Julia Child: An extraordinary life in words and pictures isn’t a boring old history textbook with no illustrations, no excitement. Big things in her life were told in both words and pictures. Chapters in the book were sequential. Exciting events were captured in colorful pictures by Joanna Gorham.
Julia Child changed from being a mischievous child with no interest in cooking food to having her own color television show. Julia Child tried to enlist in the Navy but was too tall at 6 foot 2 inches. Julia Child worked for Office of Strategic Services (OSS), which would later become the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Julia Child tested survival equipment such as shark repellant and exposure suits. I think Julia Child cared about the nation by not giving up.
This a good book about a great person.
Review by Madeleine L., 11, Nebraska-Western Iowa Mensa
Julia Child changed from being a mischievous child with no interest in cooking food to having her own color television show. Julia Child tried to enlist in the Navy but was too tall at 6 foot 2 inches. Julia Child worked for Office of Strategic Services (OSS), which would later become the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Julia Child tested survival equipment such as shark repellant and exposure suits. I think Julia Child cared about the nation by not giving up.
This a good book about a great person.
Review by Madeleine L., 11, Nebraska-Western Iowa Mensa
November 27, 2015
Hagar does an excellent job of drawing the reader in right away to admire this fascinating woman. I am not much of a cook, not a fan of French cuisine, but I was rooting for Julia Child every moment of this book. She is a wonderful role model of perseverance and going after your dreams a little later in life. The illustrations by Joanna Gorham are quite lovely. Well written, beautifully designed. Highly recommended!
January 18, 2016
I want to Julia Child all the things now. I find her very inspirational, and this book did not disappoint me. I really liked the way they had sections of illustrations followed by chapters. The nitpicky part of me wishes the quotes had specific attributions in the back, rather than just a list of sources, but that's a minor caveat.
June 20, 2015
I just loved this book! So interesting and informative, and the illustrations were wonderful.
January 21, 2016
I love this presentation -- illustrations and words in harmony.
April 17, 2016
I liked this book because it was interesting because it was about a woman named Julia Child who had a very interesting life.
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August 15, 2016I really enjoyed this biography. Every chapter was filled with interesting tidbits about Julia's journey to fame as a chef.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews