Isabella: Star of the Story by Jennifer Fosberry, pictures by Mike Litwin
Review by Lauren
copy for review, but all opinions are my own
Official Summary: An everyday visit to the library becomes an unexpected adventure through the pages of classic children’s book favorites! Like Goldilocks, Isabella searches for a book that is juuust right.
Should she host a silly tea party in Wonderland with the Mad Hatter? Take a Technicolor trip through Oz with the Cowardly Lion? Or have a swashbuckling good time with the Lost Boys?
Join Isabella as she imagines herself in the starring role of these beloved stories and discovers the extraordinary power of reading. Anything is possible between the pages of a good book!
Review: I’ve been aware of the first book in this series of picture books for awhile now. It’s titled My Name is Not Isabella and it’s something I hope to buy for my niece when she’s a little older. However, I was given the chance to read/review Isabella: Star of the Story (the third book after My Name is Not… and Isabella: Girl on the Go) and I had to accept! I’m very glad I did because I just know I’m going to love all the Isabella books, though this one might be a personal favorite…since it deals with books!
Isabella visits the library with her parents, on the search for books to read. When she finds something, she pronounces that she is not Isabella, but instead one of these characters- like Peter Pan or Alice from Alice in Wonderland. Of course, the pictures throughout the book are just adorable! I loved that each page that focused on a character incorporated both the library and the book’s world.
One aspect of the pictures that I thought was a nice touch are on the pages right before a new character. The story has Isabella proclaiming she is not the previous character, as she’s about to become a new one…and on the page right before, there is a miniature picture that clues you in to who is next. For example, Alice’s has a piece of a cake with a sign Eat Me in front. Little details like this make the mix of text and pictures brilliant in my opinion! I love when they really work together and add a little something else to enjoy apart from the obvious.
Isabella is a spunky little girl who knows what she wants and who she likes, and when she’s loving books, how can you say no to this adorable purple-haired reader?
Isabella sounds fun and spunky. My daughter might like this
I like the idea of the little clues – although the niece and nephew might have trouble getting them.
This sounds like a charming story, and educational too. This is a great way to learn about many stories through one.
Awww…this looks like such a cute book. I love the illustrations! 🙂
Oh this sounds fantastic. I really like the thought of the little signs that tell you which character is up next. Great review, Lauren! 🙂
Loving the sound of this, I bet I'd enjoy it just as much as my great-nephew.
This sounds lovely, and I love that the adventure happens in the library. I think it's perfect for my kid, she's six and she adores books like this one. She'd probably like Isabella very much.
Thanks for sharing!
I am on the hunt for new picture books for my four year old daughter and this one sounds adorable! Thanks for the recommendation!
I definitely didn't like this one as much as you but it is a cute story. I like the illustrations and I liked the 'idea' of it all, but Isabella really annoyed me for some reason. I'm glad you liked it though!
I love that this book is about a little kid visiting the library, that's such a good story for children 🙂
Never heard of these books before (not surprising really, as I don't have a lot of little people in my life). But it definitely sounds cute! I love the idea of little clues being left to follow!