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| art by Sarah S. Brannen |
The life of Elsa Schiaparelli, sad in the beginning and delightful as she matures, celebrates her creative spirit, is beautifully told in first person by Kyo Maclear, with Julie Morstad illustrating using some of Schiaparelli’s own extraordinary fashion firsts. The illustrations blend with Schiaparelli’s designs, fill pages with stunning images of flowers and other images. Be sure to see the pages where Elsa’s face shows up in the blooms. She is blooming!
Elsa, through Maclear’s words, shares part of her childhood, when parents were disappointed that they had another girl, didn’t even have a name, so hers was borrowed from the nurse. They called her older sister “bella” but her name was “brutta”. No matter, Elsa delighted in the flowers of her city, came home and tried to plant seeds in her nose and ears, thinking she would become beautiful with flowers covering her face. It was not a great idea to do this, but after help from a doctor, she continued using her wild imagination. She declares: "I am an explorer, a circus performer, and even the night sky. Dress up. Pretend. Make believe. The world feels brighter."
Elsa's words toward the end of the story show what she came to know: “Beauty itself blooms to reveal the irregular, the smart, tough, goofy, surreal, and wild.”
We had this book at the store but I didn't get a chance to read it before it sold. It looked gorgeous though.
ReplyDeleteIt is, Earl. Maybe someday you'll see it to read again! Thanks!
DeleteI just read this book. So beautiful!
ReplyDeleteIndeed, and most unknown to me except for her name. I enjoyed it very much. Thanks, Annette!
DeleteLinda, thank you for sharing this book today. My middle daughter is getting ready to graduate from high school and study fashion design in August! She just finished sewing her prom dress for Saturday. I've started a little collection of picture books about designers and don't have this one. Amazon here I come.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mandy. That's awesome news about your daughter! I hope she loved the book, and best wishes to her in her studies, and happy, happy prom!
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