Kathryn's Inbox

I had so much fun reading the Little People Big Dreams book about Andy Warhol that I just had to turn my attention to another recent release from the series, this one featuring controversial author Roald Dahl. After all, how would someone explain Roald Dahl to children--an author who was exceptionally talented, who they've most probably heard of and read some of his work already, and who in his personal life was exceptionally complicated and cruel?  Well, somehow, author Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara does exactly that. As is an integral part of this series, she introduces the reader to the subject, this time Roald Dahl, as a child and shows how he is shaped by a childhood experience of taste testing chocolate bars and unfair school policies and how they influence his later work. She also recounts his experiences fighting in the Second World War (ending in injury) how he begins his career as a writer and ... she acknowledges that he was far from perfect and that he was anti-semitic (d...

Okay. I know these books are meant to be for kids. But the concept of a Little People Big Dreams book about Andy Warhol was just too much for me to resist. And let's face it, outside of all of the controversies there are many aspects of Andy Warhol's career that would be very interesting and inspiring for young, budding artists. Like the fact that he was a shy kid, plagued by illness and that he could take something as mundane as a soup can and use it to change the art world forever. Anyway ... this was a fun and age appropriate biography. I loved the illustrations, which felt very fitting--unique but with a definite Warhol flavour. There is also a longer biography at the back, which will probably be appreciated more by older children and any grown ups that are reading along. Understandably, the book does not mention that Warhol was shot or his unexpected death in hospital following a routine operation.  Overall, an excellent resource for kids and a bit of fun and inspiration f...