41. Song After Song: The Musical Life of Julie Andrews

41. Song After Song: The Musical Life of Julie Andrews. Julie Hedlund. Illustrated by Ilaria Urbinati. 2023. 40 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, picture book, biography, music appreciation]

First sentence: Julia Elizabeth Wells was born into a melody--her childhood attuned to the timbre of her tiny English village where she heard music in the rhythm of the river, in the whistle of the wind, in the symphony of songbirds.

Premise/plot: Julie Hedlund has written a picture book biography of Julie Andrews. It focuses mainly on her childhood and her early start in music, in show business. It is only the last few pages that explores her life's work.

My thoughts: I have grown up loving Julie Andrews. Not just her work in the musicals I watched again and again and again and again, but also her work as an author. MANDY which she published under the name Julie Edwards is one of my all time favorite, favorite, favorite, favorite, favorite books.

This picture book is bittersweet in many ways. On the one hand, Julie discovers a great love of music. But on the other hand, there is a lot of sadness and confusion in her home life. It was sad that she was torn away from her father. That her mother forced her to call her stepdad, dad. That her mom forced a change of last name upon her. Music allowed her to express herself, but, still, my heart is sad for her childhood.




© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

63. Dragonflies of Glass

 63. Dragonflies of Glass: The Story of Clara Driscoll and the Tiffany Girls. Susan Goldman Rubin. Illustrated by Susanna Chapman. 2025. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, picture book, picture b ook biography, art appreciation]

First sentence: As a girl, Clara loved to draw every flower and weed on her family's farm in Ohio: daffodils, poppies, and wild carrot. She drew dragonflies and butterflies and even cobwebs.

Premise/plot: Dragonflies of Glass is a picture book biography of Clara Driscoll. In the late 1880s, she moved (with her sister) to New York City and found work at the Tiffany Glass Company. She became highly skilled and was super creative. Her works were largely inspired by nature. While she started out in stained glass, she became perhaps better known for her lamp work.

My thoughts: This isn't a subject I had much interest in...before reading. But I am always open to reading picture book biographies and learning. I thought this was a great read. Readers learn not only about Clara Driscoll but the other Tiffany Girls with which she worked. The book is great at putting things into context. I do wish the book had more photographs.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

51. Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated The Worlds of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien

51. Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Katie Wray Schon. 2025. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, nonfiction picture book]

First sentence: This little girl will grow up to draw pictures that will wing their way around the world, flying to faraway places. Her pictures will be held in millions of hands--maybe even yours. But who is she? And what will she draw? 

Premise/plot: This isn't the most traditional picture book biography. It is more a picture book biography with a pointed focus on how Pauline Baynes--artist, illustrator--came to illustrate for J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. 

My thoughts: I knew her as the illustrator of the Narnia books--the interior illustrations particularly. Her work isn't always used for the covers. (That's a whole other story. The Narnia books have gone through SO MANY covers.) I did not know that she also illustrated a book cover for Tolkien (paperback Lord of the Rings, one of the editions) and a map  of Middle Earth and a few of his lesser known books that are not connected to Middle Earth. 

I don't know that I absolutely love, love, love, love, love this one. But I do appreciate the story it tells. I did learn quite a bit by reading it. While picture book biographies exist for a LOT of writers/authors, fewer exist that focus on illustrators. (Unless they are author-illustrators). Illustrations are so important for stories and storytelling. 

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

49. Amazing Annie

 

49. Amazing Annie: The Spectacular and Mostly True Adventures of Annie Kopchovsky. Stephen Krensky. Illustrated by Adriana Predoi. 2025. 32 pages. [Source: Library] [4 stars, picture book biography, children's nonfiction]

First sentence:  Annie Kopchovsky was ready for a change. More than ready. The year was 1894, and women weren't allowed to do very much besides get married and have children. 

Premise/plot: This is a picture book biography of Annie Kopchovsky. Her big dream, her goal, was to be the first woman to ride a bicycle around the world....and all in fifteen months. It would be quite an adventure, the stuff of stories. And tell stories she would! Not all her stories were rooted in truth. But she found herself loving the adventurous stories people wanted to hear. 

My thoughts: Did I love this one? Not really. I'm not sure why exactly. I don't think it's the fault of the subject matter--the topic. I don't think it's the fault of the author or illustrator. I do think plenty of readers would enjoy it. I love the idea of loving it at the very least--telling a story of a woman that the intended audience likely never would have heard of. 

I do think that my overthinking probably didn't do me any favors with this one.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

17. Becoming Real

   

 

17. Becoming Real: The True Story of the Velveteen Rabbit. Molly Golden. Illustrated by Paola Escobar. 2025. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [5 stars, nonfiction picture book, book about books, author biographies]

First sentence: Long ago in London, there was a little girl who didn't go to school. Her name was Margery.
 

Becoming Real is a picture book biography of Margery Williams the author of THE VELVETEEN RABBIT. That in and of itself may convince some to pick it up. (It certainly was enough for me. I love and adore The Velveteen Rabbit. It is SO quotable, so meaning-of-life, so BEAUTIFUL, so memorable.)

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE how quotes from the VELVETEEN RABBIT are spread throughout the text. I love how that book is the lens through which we see her entire life play out. (If that makes sense?) It is the story of how she came to write this classic. It is building up to that time. I also love how her story--and HISTORY--give context.

I love the narrative. I thought it was well done. I LOVE the illustrations as well. Both text and art complement each other perfectly. As a whole, it was a compelling read that I am already gushing about to anyone who will listen.

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

12. Up, Up, Ever Up!

 

12. Up, Up, Ever Up! Junko Tabei: A Life in the Mountains. Anita Yasuda. Illustrated by Yuko Shimizu. 2024. 48 pages. [Source: Library] [nonfiction picture book, 3 stars]

First sentence: Junko's hill was her entire world. 

Premise/plot: Up, Up Ever Up! is a picture book biography of mountain climber and activist Junko Tabei. It recently earned a Caldecott Honor. 

My thoughts: I liked this one. I did. Books about mountain climbing aren't really "my thing" if you will. But I do try to keep up with the Newbery and Caldecott winners and honors. And I do enjoy a good nonfiction picture book biography. I think this one will appeal to readers who do like adventure-y outdoors sports. There are so many good-to-great nonfiction biographies that kids can read these days.

As for the rating. I have gone back and forth a dozen times between three stars and four stars. I have. This book was just made for a three and half star rating. (Which I don't do because GoodReads doesn't do).

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews