Dressing Up the Stars: The Story of Movie Costume Designer Edith Head by Jeanne Walker Harvey Illustrator: Diana Toledano
Published by Beach Lane Books on September 20, 2022
Genres: Non-Fiction, Picture Book
Pages: 40
Source: Blog Tour, The Publisher
My rating:
Discover the true story of how a shy miner’s daughter became one of the most legendary costume designers in Hollywood in this inspiring nonfiction picture book biography.
As a child in the small mining town of Searchlight, Nevada, Edith Head had few friends and spent most of her time dressing up her toys and pets and even wild animals using fabric scraps. She always knew she wanted to move somewhere full of people and excitement. She set her sights on Hollywood and talked her way into a job sketching costumes for a movie studio.
Did she know how to draw or sew costumes? No. But that didn’t stop her!
Edith taught herself and tirelessly worked her way up until she was dressing some of the biggest stars of the day, from Audrey Hepburn to Grace Kelly to Ginger Rogers. She became the first woman to head a major Hollywood movie studio costume department and went on to win eight Academy Awards for best costume design—and she defined the style of an era.
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This picture book tells the tale of a girl who grew up with little and used her imagination to occupy her days. Edith Head lived in a remote town with few friends, so she spent her time making outfits for her dolls and animal friends. Illustrated with soft muted colors, and eye-catching details, the book recounts Edith’s roundabout journey to costume design and the many setbacks that she experienced along the way. It’s nice to see a book that focuses on the ways that interest is even more important than “natural talent.” Edith wasn’t an incredible costume designer right from the start, not even really a good one. But she loved it and she didn’t give up. She kept working on her skills until she became one of the most respected designers in the business! Kids reading this will learn that you can get better at something, even if you fail at first, an important lesson. And they will be inspired by Edith’s unique story!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via Rockstar Book Tours so I could provide an honest review. No compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
About the Author
About Jeanne Walker Harvey:
JEANNE WALKER HARVEY studied literature and psychology at Stanford University and has worn many job hats, ranging from being a roller coaster ride operator to an attorney, a middle school language arts teacher, and a long-time docent for school groups at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. She is the author of several books for young readers, including the picture book biographies Dressing up the Stars: The Story of Movie Costume Designer Edith Head, Ablaze with Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas, and Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines. Jeanne lives in Northern California. Visit her online at JeanneHarvey.com.
Website | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon
About Diana Toledano:
DIANA TOLEDANO is an illustrator, writer, and educator. She is also a Pisces who loves children’s books, patterns, and dancing her heart out. Originally from Spain, Diana (pronounced the Spanish way: dee-ah-na) grew up in Madrid where she studied art history and illustration. Now she lives in San Francisco with her husband and two fluffy cats. Her mixed media art seeks to capture the magic of the ordinary. Diana’s product designs, picture books, board books, and chapter books have been published and sold all over the world. Diana also teaches workshops for kids and adults. She enjoys doing school visits and speaking at conferences. Learn more at Diana-Toledano.com.
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1 winner will receive a finished copy of DRESSING UP THE STARS: THE STORY OF MOVIE COSTUME DESIGNER EDITH HEAD, US Only.
Ends September 24th, midnight EST.
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
| 8/31/2022 | @jael_and_jenessa_reads | Review/IG Post |
| 9/1/2022 | Lisa-Queen of Random | Excerpt/IG Post |
| 9/2/2022 | BookHounds YA | Excerpt/IG Post |
| 9/3/2022 | Ya Books Central | Excerpt |
Week Two:
| 9/4/2022 | Just Another Teen Reading Books | Review/IG Post |
| 9/5/2022 | booksaremagictoo | Review/IG Post |
| 9/6/2022 | One More Exclamation | Review/IG Post |
| 9/7/2022 | Little Red Reads | Review/IG Post |
| 9/8/2022 | Two Points of Interest | Review/IG Post |
| 9/9/2022 | Nerdophiles | Review/IG Post |
| 9/10/2022 | Do You Dog-ear? | Review/IG Post |
Week Three:
| 9/11/2022 | RavenzReviewz | Review/IG Post |
| 9/12/2022 | pickagoodbook | Review/IG Post |
| 9/13/2022 | Write. Read. Live | Review/IG Post |
| 9/14/2022 | A Backwards Story | Review/IG Post |
| 9/15/2022 | Nonbinary Knight Reads | Review/IG Post |
| 9/16/2022 | For The Love Of The Page | Review/IG Post |
| 9/17/2022 | Feed Your Fiction Addiction | Review/IG Post |
Week Four:
| 9/18/2022 | @enjoyingbooksagain | IG Review |
| 9/19/2022 | Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers | Review/IG Post |
Edith Head is. probably the only costume designer I’ve heard of. This sounds wonderful and so inspiring too.
[…] DRESSING UP THE STARS: THE STORY OF MOVIE COSTUME DESIGNER EDITH HEAD: REVIEW & GIVEAWAY […]
This sounds so adorable and inspiring!
Karen @For What It’s Worth
Sorry I’m so late commenting! But this one looks really good! I could almost see getting it even for my high schoolers as a nonfiction for them to definitely enjoy. Great review!
[…] Dressing Up the Stars: The Story of Movie Costume Designer Edith Head by Jeanne Walker Harvey, illustrated by Diana Toledano | Review […]