Bill Peet: An Autobiography

Bill Peet, a former Disney illustrator, shares his life story.

Author: Bill Peet Illustrator: Bill Peet Pages: 189 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Children's Books Published Date: 01/01/1989 Genre: Non-Fiction - Autobiography PB Price: $14.00 Publisher's Recommended Reading Level: Ages 9-12 Read Alone: 9-12

Common Sense Note

Written as a simple children's story, this irresistible autobiography boasts lots of funny drawings, including favorite Disney characters.

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Tanya Smith

This memoir will be cheered by every budding artist ever yelled at for drawing in the margins of his textbook. With tenderness and affection, Peet spins his life story into a children's tale in this illustration-packed volume..

The first half of the book covers Peet's boyhood adventures in the Midwest. It is filled with enjoyable tales about drawing and fishing, and as such has greater kid appeal than the work-related second half. The only element missing from the first part is a deeper sense of how Peet felt during the book's most poignant moments: being teased for not having his father around, and his father's sudden reappearance in his life, an event Peet says "marked the end of a happy childhood."

Although the second half offers adorable illustrations of beloved Disney characters, the narrative mainly details the pressures Peet felt as a Disney employee, as well as his struggle to develop a solo career. Still, the second part shines a revealing light on the inner workings at Disney, and readers are treated to the tale of how the classic song "When You Wish Upon a Star," from the Disney movie Pinocchio, came to be.

With a breezy storytelling style and delightful illustrations, Peet moves readers through the events of his life; although the book runs nearly 200 pages, the drawings take up more than half.

From The Book

One evening I doodled a gigantic rabbit as big as a horse on my tablet, then wondered what his problems might be if he lived out in the farm country. I called him Huge Harold and I described in verse his narrow escapes as he runs for his life all the way to a happy ending ... .

Plot Summary:

Discover the story behind the real-life genius who illustrated Peter Pan and Sleeping Beauty for the silver screen. Bill Peet, a former Disney illustrator and the author/illustrator of scores of children's books, weaves a fascinating tale out of his own life story. Hundreds of lively characters, including Disney's own Dumbo and the 101 Dalmatians, dance across the pages of this delightful book.

Related Books:

Homesick: My Own Story is the autobiography of Jean Fritz, another prolific, acclaimed children's author. In it, the author, famous for her books about figures in American history, details her childhood in China.

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