Sunday, November 28, 2021

Forever Young: A Memoir by Hayley Mills

  Forever Young: A Memoir by Hayley Mills. Grand Central Publishing (Hachette), 2021. Adult autobiography.

     Those of us of a certain age remember child actor Hayley Mills fondly. We wanted to be her best friend! Now, she is grown and has written her own account of the magical years with her acting family including her famous father, John Mills, and her actor sister, Juliet Mills. Always a sweet and hopeful person, Hayley does not dwell on the unpleasant aspects of her schooling (or lack of it), the difficult financial arrangements made for her (and that cheated her out of much of what she earned as a child through British taxation rules), and the lack of time and consistency needed to make true friends as an adolescent. It is fascinating to read of Old Hollywood and Walt Disney. Apparently, Disney opened the archives for her to use files on her time with the studio. The ending seems rushed as Hayley never really talks about the father of her son, Ace. She does not update readers on her father, mother, or second son either. While she is still acting, this book is proof that she can write, too! 

     

Sunday, November 7, 2021

My First Pop-Up Mythological Monsters by Owen Davey

 

  My First Pop-Up Mythological Monsters. By Owen Davey. 2020.  Candlewick Press, First US edition, 2021. 

   Certainly millennial parents who are great fans of mythology will want this simple pop-up book for their little ones! Fifteen monsters from all over the world are portrayed in the beautifully colored pop-up pages. The illustrations have been created digitally and really fill the square pages disgned to fit inside a child's hands.  A dragon, a unicorn, and a jackalope may be recognizable to some readers, but griffin, chimera, shachihoko, and fenrir may be new to many. The kraken, Medusa, and cylclops are also included as are others. Certainly, younger children need help navigating the delicate pages of pop-up books. The one or two sentences about each creature will make it easy for an adult to share with a child. Use this as a resource when one of the creatures is mentioned in another storybook. What a fun addition to the library of mythology fans! 

Scribbles, Sorrows, and Russet Leather Boots: The Life of Louisa May Alcott by Liz Rosenberg.

 

 Scribbles, Sorrows, and Russet Leather Boots: The Life of Louisa May Alcott. By Liz Rosenberg. Illustrated by Diana Sudyka. Candlewick Press, 2021. Biography for older children, tweens, teens, and adults. 

     This 410 page biography of Louisa May Alcott covers her whole life. The author cites her sources in the back. Each chapter is preceded by a full page, white and black illustration. While many readers already know some of the detail presented here, others will find Alcott's  very short nursing career in the Civil War a surprise. The poverty of the family and Alcott's poor health during most of her life are described with sympathy and honesty. It is Louisa's courage and determination to succeed and to care for her family that thread throughout the narrative. Rosenberg's book will be a good addition to especially middle school and high school libraries.