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Nibbles and Me by Elizabeth Taylor

In 1946, thirteen year old Elizabeth Taylor wrote Nibbles and Me, a children’s book about her real life adventures with a chipmunk named Nibbles. According to Elizabeth, “Nibbles and Me sprang from a school assignment. Each week we had to do an essay on any subject we chose, and Nibbles was my favorite subject. I kept a diary of our experiences together. I think it was the teacher’s suggestion that I write it with a sense of continuity, as if it were a book.” Elizabeth was paid $1,000 for her story by Duell, Sloan and Pearce—a publisher who primarily issued children’s books. In order to charm the publishers, the essay was first sent to their New York offices still in Elizabeth’s own handwriting. In the book, Elizabeth writes about how she found Nibbles while shooting Courage of Lassie in Lake Chelan, Washington, his first bath (after he landed in the toilet), his one and only time in the movies (his scene was eventually scrapped), his first train ride, his first Christmas, his first meeting with studio head Louis B. Mayer, and even a couple of dangerously close calls with his mortality! Nibbles and Me featured drawings done by young Elizabeth, and stills from her upcoming film, Blue Sierra—eventually renamed Courage of Lassie. In 2002, Nibbles and Me was reissued by Simon & Shuster after it was suggested to Elizabeth that there was an entirely new generation of children who would enjoy her little tale. “Over the years, animals have remained my sweetest and most cherished friends,” Elizabeth wrote in the new introduction. Also included were more drawings that were done by thirteen year old Elizabeth.

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Elizabeth Taylor Archives Copyright 2001-2009 Andrew Budgell