Little Audrey’s Daydream: The Life of Audrey Hepburn

K-Gr 2–Audrey Hepburn’s son and his wife authored this biographical picture book narrated by the subject herself. Hepburn (1929–1993) was born in Brussels, Belgium, and her family moved to Holland, where she grew up in comfortable surroundings. She ice-skated to school in the winter and dreamed of becoming a ballerina. When World War II broke out, Hepburn’s familiar life changed. The text lightly touches on some of the experiences that became her new reality: soldiers in the streets, nightly bombings, taking cover in the cellar, insufficient food, and a cold house. The tense shifts from the past to the present as Hepburn talks about reading in bed and daydreaming about life after “the Occupation.” The dream sequences are printed in gray ink and depict her ambitions to dance, sing, and act. These sequences also include references to some of her films and her philanthropic work with UNICEF. The text appears on the verso while the colorful, detailed illustrations fill the recto.