UNDER THE LIGHTS: A Child Model at Work

Here, in an inviting but undistinguised format, Beirne presents the workaday world of the child model. The author/photographer traces the career of Michelle Bush from a children's theater in Pennsylvania to her decision to pursue modeling, efforts to break into the New York-based industry, initial bookings, highlights of subsequent jobs and her eventual decision, at 11, to drop her career--at least temporarily--because her advancing age has meant a decline in jobs. Although the approach is upbeat, the book does contain nuts-and-bolts information on the everyday life of a model and seems realistic in these details. Michelle's success seems somewhat easily obtained, however, and the seamier sides of child modeling are not mentioned at all; still, given the length of the book and its intended audience, this may be appropriate. The text, in Michelle's voice, is readable; the photographs, while posed, are natural and well reproduced. A clear, entertaining portrait of the positive side of child modeling.