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Read Me a Story, Stella

ebook
2 of 2 copies available
2 of 2 copies available

In the first new Stella book in four years — in a series that has sold two million copies in ten languages — Stella introduces little brother Sam to the pleasures of reading. Sam is as busy and worried as ever, and Stella almost always has her nose in a book these days, but she finds time to help him out, while sharing her new pastime with contagious enthusiasm.

Sam has gathered a wagonload of branches to build a doghouse for Fred, and he wonders if the book Stella is reading tells you how to make one. It doesn't (although it is very funny), but Stella is more than willing to give Sam a hand. As soon as the doghouse is built though, Sam worries that a wolf might come along and blow it down. Stella breezily banishes his fears, suggesting a picnic at Lily Pond. Stella cools her feet in the water, reading a story, while Sam tries to catch a frog. Are there frogs in Stella's book, he wonders. No, Stella tells him, but there is a toad wearing a velvet jacket...

With her characteristically light touch, Marie-Louise Gay imparts the pleasures and importance of reading to her young audience, whether it be humor, fiction, nonfiction or poetry. Her detailed, beautifully rendered and often-amusing watercolor illustrations (spot the tiny bunny reading a book!) show yet again that Marie-Louise Gay is one of the very best artists creating picture books today.

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  • Reviews

    • School Library Journal

      September 1, 2013

      K-Gr 3-Stella and her little brother, Sam, return for another outing. This time they spend the day gliding from one activity to another with their trusty dog, Fred. They go from building a doghouse to a picnic by the pond to watering the garden to enjoying the rising of the Moon to a bedtime story. The one constant is Stella's reading and her allusions to well-known stories, including "The Three Little Pigs" and "Stone Soup." Gay's mainly watercolor illustrations perfectly capture a lazy summer day. She sneaks in lots of detail without being fussy, gets facial expressions just right, and really brings her text to life. There are no surprises compared to her previous "Stella and Sam" books, and that's a good thing. This low-key story of sibling love, nature, fun activities, subtle humor, and reading is a winner on all fronts.-Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH

      Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Kirkus

      August 1, 2013
      This daylong idyll depicts the sweetest of sibling relationships, with big sister Stella indulging and guiding little brother Sam in child-sized flights of fancy. When Sam hauls a wagon loaded with sticks and scrap lumber onto the page and announces he's building a doghouse for Fred, she doesn't rain on his parade, she just settles down to read while he gets to work. "Does your book tell you how to build a doghouse?" he asks after a bit. "No," she says. "But I can help you." Throughout a day that includes a picnic by the pond, kite flying, tending the garden and gazing at the clouds, Stella reads and talks to Sam about her books. But despite Stella's invitations, he's not interested in being read to till nighttime, when "Fred can't sleep" and needs a story. Stella is happy to oblige. Her low-pressure approach to sharing her evident love of books is wisely intuitive, allowing Sam the space to come to it on his own. Gay's watercolor, pencil, pastel and collage illustrations fill each scene with a riot of details for children to pore over again and again. On one page, a bunny reads Stella's book while she helps Sam with the doghouse; on another, two birds and a caterpillar share space on a makeshift clothesline with Stella's wet socks. Stella's wild, red mop of curls seems to have enough energy to power several states. A perfect summer's day bound in 32 pages. (Picture book. 3-5)

      COPYRIGHT(2013) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      July 15, 2013
      After a four-year hiatus, Gay’s redheaded heroine returns in a subdued summer adventure. As in previous installments, younger brother Sam has plenty of questions for his sister, and Stella has answers at the ready. “Do you think a wolf could blow Fred’s doghouse down?” Sam asks after they build a cozy, ramshackle structure. “A tornado couldn’t blow this house down,” Stella replies. The story is somewhat episodic, with no real emotional highs or lows, as the siblings visit a pond, fly a kite, spend time in a garden, and look at the clouds; along the way, Stella’s ample supply of books informs their conversations. Ages 2–5.

    • The Horn Book

      January 1, 2014
      As Stella, little brother Sam, and their dog, Fred, go about their day--building a doghouse, picnicking, etc.--Stella continually has her nose in a book, which intrigues Sam. The message-y story lacks the forward momentum of some of the other Stella books, but Gay's art is characteristically strong, especially the heart-melting closing spread of Stella reading to Sam in bed.

      (Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
Kindle restrictions

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:2.5
  • Lexile® Measure:480
  • Interest Level:K-3(LG)
  • Text Difficulty:0-2

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