Gr 3 Up-- Peet's long shelf of popular picture books are familiar to library patrons; his long career as an artist for the Disney studios may not be so well-known. All of this and more is covered in this enthusiastic and heart-felt autobiography. The format is similar to James Stevenson's When I Was Nine (Greenwillow, 1986)--a picture book with autobiographical text and profuse illustrations in the familiar style of the author/subject--but while Stevenson describes only a short period in his life, Peet starts with his earliest memories and continues up to the present. Beginning with a traditional Midwestern town and country boyhood, the book follows Peet through high school, into art school, on to local prizes for his paintings, and eventually to an invitation to ``audition'' for the Disney studios, where he eventually worked on Snow White , Dumbo , Sleeping Beauty , and many more films. At the same time, he struggled at home with the picture-book format for his art, finding himself with reams of picture stories but at a loss for words to accompany them. Every page of this oversized book is illustrated with Peet's unmistakable black-and-white drawings of himself and the people, places, and events described in the text. Familiar characters from his books and movies appear often. The fascinating subject matter will encourage readers to finish the lengthy text. The pictures tell their own story and can be appreciated on many levels. An excellent choice for inspiring young gifted and talented students as well as for general readers. --Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, Pa.