When Stella Was Very, Very Small

"When Stella Was Very, Very Small" is the latest in the author's series of Stella books, exploring the growing imaginative world view of a little girl. When Stella was very, very small, the world seems immense, magical, and filled with mysterious events and creatures. Words on a page are like ants to her because she cannot understand or read them, but she can hear and understand the stories of trees at night as she is going to bed. so much in Stella's world has changed, or become more understandable as she has grown, but she retains her curiosity and her unique ability to imagine herself and her world differently. She has the lucky chance to be able to teach some of her thoughts and stories to her little brother, Sam, because a part os her still remembers and values the time and experiences "When Stella Was Very, Very Small." Beautiful, delicate water color illustrations lend depth to the fantasy and whimsical elements of "When Stella Was Very, Very Small." This book will appeal to children age 3 and up.

When Stella was just a little thing, she saw things differently than everyone else. She had beautiful curly red hair and didn't look at all like a turtle, but when she was "very, very small, she thought she was a turtle." She pretended she was a goldfish, but when she crawled around on the floor BOW WOW . . . she was a dog. Now being a dog was the most fun of all. She was such a tiny thing that when she got up on the back of the couch "she could see the whole world" and it was very big. She wasn't able to do a lot of things, but she was pretty good at racing "against her rubber ducks in the enormous Olympic-sized pool" in the bathroom. Stella was a very good artist and her butterflies looked nice on the wall. She wasn't big enough to read and "words looked like ants running off the pages." When she was out walking in the grass chasing bumble bees and dragonflies, it was just like being in a jungle. The big orange kitty cat looked like "a ferocious man-eating tiger." It was soooo interesting being very, very small, but when she got big things started to look a bit different. Growing up was lots of fun and Stella was starting to see things in a different light! This was a charming look at life from the eyes of a very, very small child. This is a very imaginative story and it brought a few smiles to my face. The story suddenly flip flops and we see Stella as a "big girl" who looks at life in a new and magical way. I loved the "pretend," the "imagination" and the adventure in this adorable tale. If you have a little one, this is the perfect tale to read when you cuddle up in a chair or rocker!

This book is absolutely adorable. It is the story of Stella, an adorable little redhead, and her world. It is a beautifully-illustrated tale of how young children view their world. Stella's sandbox was a desert, her backyard was a tropical jungle, her bathtub was an Olympic-sized swimming pool, and her house was very, VERY big. As she grows, her perspective of her world changes and she gets to help her little brother, Sam, experience the world as she did. This book is so imaginative. The colorful, sketch-like drawings were definitely my favorite part. They remind me of the cute illustrations in Humphrey's Bedtime (Owlet Book), also an adorable children's book. I haven't read any of the other Stella books (Stella, Princess of the Sky, Stella, Fairy of the Forest, etc.), but I will be sure to check them out after reading this beautiful book about a child's magical adventures. I highly recommend this book!

Maybe because my daughter is "Stella" or just because the artwork is so incredible but either way I love it!