  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 06/01/2018 *Starred Review* This gorgeous biography relates the highs and lows of Walt Disney’s life, from his childhood in rural Missouri to his experimental cartoon shorts to the creation of Disneyland. Rappaport lauds Walt’s admirable qualities—his drive and imagination—and sprinkles his famous quotations within her narrative. In simple, straightforward prose, she also touches on Walt’s controversial side, such as his unfair treatment of workers and disdain for unions. Pomeroy’s exquisite one-and-a-half-page illustrations, however, are the book’s main draw. His sharp shading showcases Walt’s energetic facial expressions, and the thick paint casts shadowy creases in people’s hair and clothes, mimicking the realism and liveliness that made Walt’s groundbreaking animation so compelling. Sometimes, Walt’s famous characters appear alongside him. In one image, a grinning Walt enacts a scene for an animator while the black-and-white Silly Symphonies skeletons dance in the background. In another, painters load cartoon cells onto a special camera, helped by Snow White and the seven dwarfs. This celebration of Walt’s ingenuity and imagination covers the scope of his many visions, while also making it to clear to young readers that he had to work hard and take risks to make his dreams come true. - Copyright 2018 Booklist. Loading...
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