Author/illustrator Elizabeth Matthews, a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, explores the life of groundbreaking fashion designer Coco Chanel in this picture-book biography. From Chanel's early years at a convent orphanage, where she learned to sew, to her time as a seamstress, and the launch of her own independent career in hat and dressmaking, Matthews focuses on the ways in which her subject was different from those around her, and how she made that difference a point of pride, rather than a weakness...

I sought out Different Like Coco after reading Annemarie van Haeringen's Coco and the Little Black Dress and finding it woefully inadequate in its treatment (or non-treatment) of Chanel's actions as a spy for the Nazis during World War II. I was curious to see if this far less inspirational aspect of the subject's life was similarly omitted in this work, and sure enough, it was. In Elizabeth Matthews' defense, although Chanel's love affair with a Nazi officer was common knowledge from the end of the war, more solid evidence of her role as an agent - apparently she had an agent number (F-7124) and a code name (Westminster) of her own - doesn't seem to have reached the popular consciousness until 2011, when Hal Vaughan’s Sleeping With The Enemy: Coco Chanel’s Secret War was published. Unlike van Haeringen, who published the original Dutch-language version of her Coco and the Little Black Dress in 2013, after these revelations became public, Different Like Coco was published in 2007, so it's quite possible Matthews didn't have access to this information, which would make her own omission more forgivable.

Whatever the case may be, I still find it difficult to swallow an adulatory book about Chanel being presented to young readers, given what we now know about her life, and I simply couldn't take this one to heart. Chanel was an influential figure, and I wouldn't argue that her story should not be told, but being a Nazi is not a small foible or a personality quirk, and that part of her story should also be included, even if only in the back matter. Leaving this aside, I was also made somewhat uncomfortable by the treatment of weight in Matthews' text and artwork. I think the intent was to show that Coco, considered unfashionably thin in her youth, turned her difference into a strength, designing clothing more suited to her own body type, but the end product left a sour taste in my mouth. There was a feeling, perhaps accentuated by some of the artwork, which depicted the fashionably plump ladies in question in almost a porcine way, that not only had fashion left heavier-set women behind, but that said women had it coming, because Coco herself was body-shamed. Perhaps this too was unintentional, but that was the impression I took away, and I didn't care for its (forgive the pun) smallness.

In sum, I don't recommend this one. I think that I will give up on Coco biographies for now, rather than continue to hunt, as is my usual way. ( )

Elizabeth Matthews gives a beautiful pictorial version of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel's life. Coco Chanel was born into a low class family but always loved to watch the upper class women of society. Their style and grace always captivated Coco. When her mother passed away she was sent to a convent where she learned to sew. Thus her love for style was able to come to life. Using what she had seen, what she thought up and what she had learned she created a brand and a style at a time when fashion was blooming in France.
I enjoyed this book. It is a fun biography for a children who love style and fashion. There are many biographies for children to read about people in politics, medicine, law and other careers. I think this brings a creative career for those children who need a role model in this field. ( )

In picture book style, Elizabeth Matthews tells the true story of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel. Born to a lower class family, Coco grew up watching ladies of society when her father, a merchant, brought her to market. When her mother died she was sent to a convent where she learned to sew. At a time when France was thriving with fashion, Coco's creativity and innovative clothes became popular by independent working women. Grades 2 - 5. ( )

Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel was born in France. Her father was a merchant, and Coco loved all of the fashion she saw. At a young age her mother died and Coco and her sister were sent to live in an orphanage run by the nuns where she learned to sew. Coco began working at a tailor making her own hats. Doc had a different kind of style, wearing suits instead of corsets. After sneaking into a polo match Coco met Capel, together there opened her first shop in France. Coco's style soon swept the women of France, and everyone wanted to be different just like Coco.
The story Different Like Coco tell on the parts of Coco Chanel's life that led her to success and fame. Throughout the book the illustrations reveal more information about Coco and the time period occurring. In the illustrations were also quotes from people at that time. At the end of the story is a timeline that gives the year along with some more information about Coco's life not mentioned in the story. ( )

Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel lived in france with her parents. Her mother was ill and her father was a street merchant. When Coco went to the market with her father to sell his finery to the wealthy women, she pretended to be wealthy like them and made up imaginative stories. When her mother died, Coco was sent to an orphanage where she learned to read, write, and sew. She was very talented at sewing and when she left school she was able to get work in a tailoring shop. It was then that she began designing her own clothes and hats. These styles were never seen before and were starkly different that what was worn by the society women at the time.

Coco met an aristocratic man. Though they were in love, they could not marry. As a gift he bought a dress shop for Coco, and it was here that she began to transform the way women of Paris would dress.

Throughout the story, as the title suggests, we learn about how Coco Chanel was different. From her tall skinny shape, to her imagination and daring attitude, Coco was always stretching and growing, and along the way the people around her changed and grew as well. She had a tremendous impact on the world of fashion. The beautiful illustrations support the words and the style of the story. ( )