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Parrots, Pugs, and Pixie Dust

A Book About Fashion Designer Judith Leiber

Illustrated by Masha D'yans
Published by little bee books
Distributed by Simon & Schuster
LIST PRICE $17.99

About The Book

This is a moving and impassioned picture book about iconic handbag designer Judith Leiber that will embolden young readers to use their imaginations and inspire the world with their own creativity!

At night, she took comfort

making handbags

with any scraps she could find.

Every purse she made

made her dreams come alive.

Growing up in Budapest, Hungary, Judith Leiber drew inspiration from her father, who always brought back special handbags for her mother from wherever he traveled. After getting a job at a handbag house, she dreamt up designs that took her mind off her difficult life. World War II had broken out, and Judith and her family were Hungarian Jews facing persecution. At night, she would make handbags with any scraps she could find.

She found her passion for fashion, and after the war ended, Judith immigrated to America. Here, she found her vision for her designs from preening peacocks, fanciful frogs donning gilded crowns, burgers and fries, and layer cake. She turned the ordinary into extraordinary handbags, designing creations unlike anything that had been seen before.

This is an inspiring picture book about finding your passion and being creative from the same team behind Polka Dot Parade: The Story of Bill Cunningham!

About The Author

About The Illustrator

Product Details

  • Publisher: little bee books (September 17, 2019)
  • Length: 40 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781499808988
  • Grades: K - 4
  • Ages: 6 - 9

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Raves and Reviews

With imagination, skill and perseverance, a young Jewish woman wins her place in the fashion world after surviving the horror of World War II in this nonfiction picture book.

– Melinda Greenblatt, Shelf Awareness

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More books from this author: Deborah Blumenthal

More books from this illustrator: Masha D'yans