When Stella was Very, Very Small

Starred review from August 1, 2009
PreS-Gr 2-This new offering in Gay's delightful series about inquisitive and imaginative Stella explores her vantage points from each developmental stage to date. As a crawler, she's eye to eye with a turtle. While her curly orange locks distinguish her from the reptile, the green attire and prone position suggest a mirror image. A goldfish and dog phase follow. Gay's sensitivity to the rich inner life of childhood flows into her art and language. As a toddler, Stella ascends to the top of the sofa, surveying "the whole world." A seven-rung ladder propped against the cushions suggests her perception of the adventure. When she is a preschooler, the words in her book "looked like ants running off the pages," and that's just how they appear. Gay's mixed-media scenes dance with the energy of scribbled butterflies on the walls, teetering objects, and a blanket-turned-turban that flaps as Stella braves the desert storm in the sandbox. When she becomes bigger, the turtle struggles to keep up with her brisk pace. Her yard is no longer a force with which to be reckoned, but rather an orderly place where she pursues entomology. As for her literacy skills, "the ants in her books have become words, and the words have become stories." Stella is pictured reading to little Sam (who's now wearing the green outfit). Subtle and sweet, yet full of life and humor, the child's world is a place kids will want to visit again and again."Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2009
Preschool-K If youve ever wondered how Stella got so imaginative, wonder no more. In this prequel of sorts, Gay rewinds the tape to Stellas infant days, and we get to watch the red-haired troublemaker swim Olympic-sizepools (her tub), face man-eating tigers (the neighbors cat), and brave a desert (the sandbox). Enchanting overhead views subtly drive home how being small makes the world seem big, and young listeners will feel encouraged to laugh at their own past foibles. Fans of the series will be glad to see younger brother Sam pop up at books endnow its his turn to be very, very small.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

July 6, 2009
Fans will flock to see the newest additions to these series favorites.
When Stella Was Very, Very Small
Marie-Louise Gay
. Groundwood
(PGW, dist.), $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-88899-906-1

The ever-inquisitive, carrot-top heroine returns, this time with a peek at her early days: “When Stella was very, very small, words looked like ants running off the pages. Butterflies flew on the walls, and cups jumped off the tables, just like that!” reads Gay's text as Stella sits before a pile of books, crayon-scribbled butterflies gracing the walls. Stella's surroundings, which initially have an epic scale for her, become more manageable (though no less magic) as she ages. And “now that Stella is big” and “the ants in her book have become words,” she can read to her little brother. Stella's dynamic world and big sister charisma will pay off for fans of the gentle series. Ages 2–5.