My Name Is Not Isabella: Just How Big Can a Little Girl Dream?

by Jennifer Fosberry, Mike Litwin (Illustrator)

Overview

Now a New York Times Bestseller!

Just How Big Can a Little Girl Dream?
Ask Isabella . . .
She takes a wild ride-and discovers the sky's the limit!

"This story . . . speaks frankly about self-identity and self affirmation as Isabella decides at the end that she is actually herself . . . because she possesses the best parts of all of the women she looks up to."
-ForeWord Magazine

"The colorful mixed-media artwork reinforces the fanciful, upbeat tone of the book. Use this story to ignite young readers' interest in women's history."
-School Library Journal

Who Is Your Hero?

Isabella's include U.S. Astronaut Sally Ride, activist Rosa Parks, and sharpshooter Annie Oakley-but there's no bigger hero than Isabella's own mommy!

Join Isabella on an adventure of discovery-and find out how imagining to be these extraordinary women teaches her the importance of being her extraordinary self.

A rollicking read-aloud and terrific "read-to-myself" story, My Name Is Not Isabella is capturing hearts and awards, including:

Silver ForeWord Book of the Year Award for Picture Books

Gold Moonbeam Children's Book Award

Gold Independent Publisher Book Award

Amelia Bloomer List

Jennifer Fosberry is a science geek turned children's book writer. Until recently, she worked as a project manager in Silicon Valley in the high-tech electronic field. She currently divides her time between the San Francisco Bay Area and Costa Rica with her husband and three children.

Mike Litwin combines a variety of media to create scenes that serve the imagination and education of women. A graduate of the East Carolina University School of Art and Design, he plays both designer and illustrator with an often wacky, always delightful style that uniquely blends playful innocence with devilish mischief. Illustrating and telling stories for children is his passion, his entertainment, and his dream. He currently lives in Greenville, North Carolina, with his wife and three daughters.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781402259784
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	09/01/2010
Series:	Isabella Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	12 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jennifer Fosberry is a science geek turned children's book writer. Until recently, she worked as a project manager in Silicon Valley in the high-tech electronics field. She currently divides her time between the San Francisco Bay Area and Costa Rica with her husband and three children.

Mike Litwin is an award-winning illustrator who combines oil glazing, color pencil, collage, and other mixed media to create scenes that serve the imagination and education of children.

Read an Excerpt

From My Name is not Isabella

"Good morning, Isabella," the mother said. "It's time to getup and out of bed."

"My name is not Isabella!" said the little girl.

"Then who has been sleeping in my daughter's bed?" asked the mother.

"I am SALLY, the greatest, toughest astronaut who ever was!"

"Well, Sally, BLAST out of bed, put on your space suit and come downstairs for breakfast."

Editorial Reviews

K-Gr 2

"Good morning, Isabella," says a mother to her daughter. "My name is not Isabella!" says the child. She is Sally, the "greatest, toughest astronaut who ever was!" At breakfast she becomes Annie the sharpshooter, and then Rosa on the bus ride to school. When she gets home that afternoon, she is Marie, the scientist; then Elizabeth, the doctor; Mommy, the greatest mother; and, finally, Isabella again. She falls asleep thinking about who she will become tomorrow. Throughout the day, the mother good-humoredly encourages her daughter's flights of imagination. The repetitive text, while somewhat contrived, serves to drive home the message that girls can do and be anything they want. The inclusion of motherhood in the list of worthwhile occupations is refreshing. The colorful mixed-media artwork reinforces the fanciful, upbeat tone of the book. An appendix gives more information on the lives and careers of all the women alluded to, and a list of works consulted presents opportunities for further research. Use this story to ignite young readers' interest in women's history.-Rachael Vilmar, Eastern Shore Regional Library, Salisbury, MD

School Library Journal

In this picture book, first published by Monkey Barrel Press in 2008, young Isabella isn't having an identity crisis--she's having an identity field day. When her mother greets her good morning, she responds with the book's title (and its refrain), adding, "I am Sally , the greatest, toughest, astronaut who ever was!" Throughout the day, Isabella assumes the roles of other "greatest" heroines: breakfast prompts an Annie Oakley reverie; a school bus ride puts her in the shoes of Rosa Parks. Litwin overworks the fuzzy, staticky textures of his mixed- media illustrations to the point of distraction, and it's a little disappointing that none of debut author Fosberry's role models is of especially recent vintage--Marie Curie and Elizabeth Blackwell appear as her science and medicine superwomen. But the exuberance of the text and typography, coupled with Isabella's force of personality, ensures that the pages fly along, largely and blessedly free of the earnestness that plagues so many "girls can do anything" books. Ages 3–8. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"This would be a great holiday gift for any little girl! I would recommend My Name Is Not Isabella by: Jennifer Fosberry to any parent with little girls." — Bzzing Mom

"Fosberry's light, deft take makes each scene a romp rather than a lesson, and she includes biographies at the back for the kids (and parents) who get hooked and want to know more." — Squidalicious

"This book is a gem of a children’s book and is a fun read-aloud story." — San Francisco Book Review

"A charming book about a little girl on an imaginary trip through history, pretending to be some of the greatest women who ever lived, encouraged by her ever-present mom." — Charlotte Parent

"Creative use of graphics and colorful illustrations, draw the reader into Isabella’s world." — Charlotte Parent

From the Publisher

"It's the kind of book that can open a little girl's mind up to a world of new stories simply by letting her explore all the possibilities."

BabyCenter

"The perfect book to teach young girls about the inner strength of their gender."

New Age Mama

"A great story for little girls!"

Amanda's Favs

"A tremendous book."

Mommy's Memorandum

The title phrase is what this purple-haired little girl says when her mother awakens her, because Isabella is Sally this morning, "the greatest, toughest astronaut who ever was!" When mother calls her "Sally" at breakfast, though, the girl announces that she's Annie, the "fastest sharp-shooter." It's Rosa the activist who waits for the bus and Marie the scientist who eats the cookies mother has made for her after school. Elizabeth the doctor relaxes in the bubble bath, and then the child announces that she, Isabella, is "Mommy, the greatest, sweetest mother who ever was!" One-paragraph bios of Sally Ride, Annie Oakley, Rosa Parks, Marie Curie, Elizabeth Blackwell and "Mommy" appear at the end (the Mommy bio is rather egregious). It's difficult to suss out the story, though. While it's nifty that Isabella imagines herself to be these great women, her mother's entire efforts are bent to taking care of Isabella, from hot breakfast to hot bubblebath. If that's what she aspires to be in the end, it's both solipsistic and philosophically tenuous and leaves readers young and older unengaged. (bibliography) (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews