Today marks what would have been Julia Child's 100th birthday. She's a bit like America's culinary mother, the woman who encouraged and cajoled us into the kitchen to be become better cooks, with her humor and her can do attitude. I wish I had a great personal Julia Child story, but alas, I don't. I can only share that like so many others, I have collected her cookbooks, cooked many of her recipes and thoroughly enjoyed watching her on TV.
Right now I am in the midst of reading Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child, the most comprehensive biography of Julia Child, written by Bob Spitz, someone who not only knew her, but admits to having had a crush on her. It's over 500 pages long and includes lots of anecdotes but it's really her character that shines through in the book and makes it such a good read. You can read an excerpt online.
Also on my nightstand is a children's book that features Julia Child. Minette's Feast has illustrations that are somewhat reminiscent of Maurice Sendak. The book is short, perfect for bedtime reading. It incorporates tidbits and quotes from Julia Child, but it's really just the backdrop for a fictional story about her cat. It's light and fluffy (kind of like the cat!), and it will definitely please very young children more than adults, unlike Bon Appetit: The Delicious Life of Julia Child, a children's book for slightly older kids, that I believe all Julia Child fans will relish. Julia Child has been the focus of many of my blog posts over the years, both before her death and afterwards. Feel free to peruse them:
Julia Child's Ratatouille recipe and a review of Bon Appetit: The Delicious Life of Julia Child Julia
Child Panel Discussion with great personal stories from those who knew her
Julie & Julia, the movie an inside look at the making of the movie and the food scenes
Happy Birthday Julia! includes her crepe recipe
Julia Child's Clafouti recipe
Thank you, Julia Child my personal tribute to Julia Child, a day after she passed away
