Some Writer [Book Review]

Hello there!

Title: Some Writer!

Author: Melissa Sweet

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Published Date: 4^th October 2014

Rating: 4 Stars

*Thank you to HMH Kids for the review copy*

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Synopsis:  “SOME PIG,” Charlotte the spider’s praise for Wilbur, is just one fondly remembered snippet from E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web. In Some Writer!, the two-time Caldecott Honor winner Melissa Sweet mixes White’s personal letters, photos, and family ephemera with her own exquisite artwork to tell his story, from his birth in 1899 to his death in 1985. Budding young writers will be fascinated and inspired by the journalist, New Yorkercontributor, and children’s book author who loved words his whole life. This authorized tribute is the first fully illustrated biography of E. B. White and includes an afterword by Martha White, E. B. White's granddaughter.

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Review: This book is a non-fiction biography of E.B. White’s life for young readers and adults alike. The funny thing is that I won this book in a giveaway which I really can’t remember entering at all! It was on Instagram but I am very happy to have won because I really enjoyed reading this book.

When I started reading it I was unaware of the fact that E.B. White is the author of Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little. Although I haven’t read the latter I’m well acquainted with the movie as it was part of my childhood. Anyway, I didn’t realise I had read any of the author’s works so I assumed I was reading about an author who was entirely unfamiliar to me. I don’t even know how I might have missed that…

I was so happily shocked when I came to the realization that I did know this author and have actually read some of their works. There’s something different about reading a biography when you are more involved in the author/celebrity’s life and feel like you share some sort of connection with them.

But even if I hadn’t realised this, I would’ve still enjoyed the book. Because I’d really been enjoying the simplistic and clear style in the way that this biography was told. If I was a child or an adult I would clearly be able to get the idea of the way E.B. White lived and how he was the kind of writer who wouldn’t obey rules and regulations and just wrote what he wanted to. He wrote what made him happy. He loved life and his family and his barn full of animals. He went on things like unannounced road trips where he would travel the country and do work for free dinners and meals just to experience going with the flow and living in the moment. He saw the value in the little things and this biography showed me that.

I also really loved the format and illustrations/art included in this biography. There is a boring way to tell a biography, but the artwork in this book really does speak for itself. As E.B. White himself is incredibly creative, it just seemed so fitting that his biography was told with creativity as well. I loved it and this book is beautiful both in word content and art content alike.

It’s a short read and really quick – I finished it in a single day. For someone who struggles with non-fiction but still wants to know more about the authors they admire (like me), this is the perfect way of telling a biography. I could only wish that there were more out there like this one. ^.^

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Gif Summary:

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Links: Goodreads and Amazon!

Olivia’s Question: Should only autobiographies exist or do you think it’s alright for others to pay tribute to a writer or celebrity after their death with a biography?

Olivia-Savannah x