Angelina Jolie and her brood go toy shopping as she takes her mind of explosive biography allegations

Angelina Jolie and her brood go toy shopping as she takes her mind of explosive biography allegations - Just like any other mother, when things get rough for Angelina Jolie, she seeks solace in her family.

That is why it is no surprise to see the star spending time with her children in California, and keeping a dignified silence in the face of a damaging new book.

Angelina took three of her brood, Pax, 6, Zahara, 5, and Shiloh, 4, to a toy store in Berkeley.

The family are staying in the area while Brad Pitt shoots his new film Moneyball nearby.

Shopping day: Angelina Jolie stopped by a toy store in Berkeley, California with Pax, Zahara (pictured above) and Shiloh

The 46-year-old actor is playing Billy Beane, legendary manager to baseball team the Oakland A's, who led them to victory in the 2002 Major League Baseball American League West Division.

It looks as though Brad has been helping himself to props from the set, as tomboy Shiloh was sporting an Oakland A's baseball cap.

The shopping excursion will be a welcome distraction for Angelina, who has had a month of highs and lows.

Walking red carpets around the globe for her new film Salt in a series of stunning outfits and with Brad at her side, the superstar looked at the top of her game.

But the niggling story that has plagued the actress, 35, for over a year has exploded, threatening to damage her reputation for good.

Andrew Morton's unauthorised biography was released in the U.S. yesterday and with it has come dozens of shocking revelations. The tome is not on sale in the UK, however, where publishers are bound by stricter libel laws.

Scandal: The actress, 35, is facing controversy from shocking claims made in Andrew Morton's unauthorised biography, released in the U.S. this week

While Jolie is no stranger to scandal, and openly talks about the darker aspects of her past, she is said to be furious about some of the material.

Having reinvented herself as a humanitarian and devoted mother, Angelina has shrugged off the bad girl image that she encouraged in the late 1990's.

But all that, and worse, is coming back to haunt her in spectacular fashion, as not just words, but images, surface.

Grainy shots of the star in kinky S&M style poses emerged last week.

The photographs, allegedly taken in 1999, show the star with a blindfold on, and nude except for black tape crosses on her breasts.

The explosive book makes claims of heroin use, S&M parties, psychiatric hospitals and the star hiring a hit man to kill her.

Like father like daughter: Shiloh, 4, who bares a striking resemblance to father Brad Pitt, wears a baseball cap from the set of his film Moneyball

Additionally it alleges that Angelina ruthlessly sought to win Brad from Jennifer Aniston, well before the couple had split.

This is something Brad and Angelina have always vehemently denied, saying their relationship developed after Brad ended his marriage.

But Brad's isn't the only marriage Morton claims the actress intruded on.

The writer alleges that Billy Bob Thornton, her second husband, was engaged to the actress Laura Dern when he met Angelina on a film set.

Back to work: Brad is hard at work on Moneyball, playing a baseball coach to the Oakland A's team. Star magazine quotes sources close to the couple saying there is concern their relationship may not survive the shocking book claims

Morton also alleges an affair with the actor Ethan Hawke in 2003 while he was still married to actress Uma Thurman.

There are also claims of a long-running affair with Mick Jagger when he was married to Jerry Hall and she was a young model in New York.

Alleged secret liaisons with Colin Farrell, Ralph Fiennes and Leonardo DiCaprio are also talked about in the book.

Sources close to Brangelina are reportedly concerned that the damaging allegations could be the final straw.

Star magazine, who printed the risqué images of Angelina, quotes a source as saying. ‘Brad always knew she was not an angel but this could be the final straw.' ( dailymail.co.uk )

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