Bill Peet: An Autobiography

This was a fun and informative read- I loved Bill Peet’s picture books as a child. In fact, reading this has made me want to revisit a bunch of them all over again, and pick up several that I never saw back then. It tells of the author’s childhood, mostly on his grandmother’s farm, his father was an absentee traveling salesman. Peet wasn’t a keen student, preferring to draw in the margins of his books and school papers. But didn’t see that as a career to aspire to- he tried many other types of jobs before taking a chance on an ad for illustrators at Disney Studios. He was there for twenty-seven years! He describes the process, and what it was like working for Disney- not always a cheerful fellow, let’s just say. He was show more disgruntled that his name never showed up on the credits for the films- (although must be listed now, as several of them came up when I searched for his bio in the library catalog). He’d been trying to make money on the side doing cartoons for newspapers and other publications, greeting card illustrations, and his own paintings, but nothing ever really worked out until he started attempting children’s book illustrations, using some ideas and characters he’d come up with long ago. I was surprised to read about how difficult the writing part of it came to him- as a kid reading those books, I never would have guessed. It was wonderful to learn some tidbits behind the inspiration and making of those stories. Also wonderful how this entire autobiography is heavily illustrated by his own hand- there are just a few of his early works included (most lost to time) and plenty others he re-created from memory. With the large text and numerous pictures, it feels like a children’s non-fiction book, though I wonder how well it would actually hold kids’ interest. I’m guessing most appreciative readers will be adults looking back fondly on his works and curious to know a bit more about his life story, like me. show less

Disappointed that it;s over. There are hints of his interest in the protection of wildlife and the environment, but no development of that... much too much, imo, of the book is spent on his years working with Walt Disney. Well, it was 27 years, but still.

Now I definitely want to read more of his picture-books. I do think that it's worth a Caldecott Honor, even though it's not a standard picture-book. It does have lots and lots of pictures, and though it's long it's easy to read, and it certainly makes a distinguished contribution to young artists who dream of making a living at drawing and creating.

I almost gave it four stars, but I'm torn about what it truly accomplishes. There are an awful lot of words, but we don't get more about show more most of his picture-books. It's just not wonderful enough, sorry. show less

I found this book to be all over the place. At first I was fascinated with his childhood and could understand how it would influence his work throughout his life. But his many pages of discussing his projects at Walt Disney Studios felt like a completely different book. Fans of Peet will no doubt enjoy it, especially the many Disney movies he worked on.

This is probably only interesting if you love Bill Peet's books. The illustrations make the book come alive.

I thoroughly enjoyed this Newbery Honor Award winner, but that's because Bill Peet is one of my favorite children's authors. I especially enjoyed all the pictures that accompanied the text because many of them are in his other books in one form or another. The text is accessible to middle school readers, but I'm not sure many middle school students would actually read it. The Bill Peet books I've read to my children and classes are younger, so I'm not sure a student in 6th or 7th grade would really pick this book up. If they did, their memory would probably instantly take them back such classics as How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head and Eli. I'm just not sure if Peet's biography will grip that Newbery audience.

The most honest and realistic account of the animation industry ever written.

Bill Peet was arguably the greatest story artist to have ever worked at Disney, and in this book he pulls no punches on his career there.

If you're a fan of Peet's childrens' books as I am, you'll be thrilled to see that he has illustrated his autobiography in the same inimatable style.

Fantastic!

Bill Peet: An Autobiography tells the story of a famous artist whose work thousands of people adore. Having worked on some beloved Disney animated movies, to writing his own heartwarming stories, Bill Peet is an artist for all ages. Using his signature art style Bill Peet illustrates his life and career with imaginative skill. Whether reading for research or just to look at the zany and otherworldly creations, this autobiography provides everything one would hope for when reading nonfiction.