Song After Song: The Musical Life of Julie Andrews
by Julie Hedlund; illus. by Ilaria Urbinati
Primary  Little Bee    40 pp.
9/23    9781499813791    $18.99

“Julia Elizabeth Wells was born into a melody—her childhood attuned to the timbre of the tiny English village where she heard music in the rhythm of the river, in the whistle of the wind, in the symphony of songbirds.” This lyrical picture-book biography focuses on the challenges and successes of Andrews’s early life. When her concert-pianist mother remarried and moved to London during WWII, Julie was summoned to join her and had a difficult time adjusting to life in a large city under constant threat of bombs. But her stepfather, also a musician, discovered her gift of a voice, paid for singing lessons, and promoted her career. Julie became successful so quickly that she performed for the queen while still a child. The book concludes with a brief summary of Andrews’s accomplishments as an actor and author of children’s books; in an appended author’s note, Hedlund describes her personal connection to her subject. Soft-hued illustrations ranging from a series of small vignettes to double-page spreads reveal setting, action, emotion, and personality, complementing the alliterative text, which is full of musical references. The case cover offers a surprise: an illustration of young Julie by the river, with Mary Poppins reflected in the water. Back matter includes a timeline (but no source notes).

From the September/October 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.