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New York Times bestselling author Tori Spelling's debut picture book!
All her life, Tallulah has heard what she’s not supposed to do: Don’t get dirty…don’t talk loudly… don’t wear jeans like all the other kids. “You’re not that kind of girl,” everybody keeps telling her. Tallulah knows plenty about what she can’t do and what she shouldn’t do, about what kind of girl she isn’t. But it’s up to her to figure out what kind of girl she is. New York Times bestselling author Tori Spelling and illustrator Vanessa Newton bring us the story of a spunky little girl who, with the help of some special friends, is able to discover exactly who she is.
Tori Spelling is an actress whose career spans theater, television, and film. She’s received critical praise for her work in such independent films as Trick and The House of Yes. She both starred in and executive produced the comedy series So NoTORIous on VH1 and the popular reality series Tori & Dean: Inn Love on the Oxygen channel. She lives with her husband and four children in Los Angeles.
Vanessa Brantley Newton is a self-taught artist and has attended both F.I.T. and SVA of New York, where she studied fashion and children’s illustration. Vanessa is the illustrator of Ruby’s New Home, A Team Stays Together!, and Justin and the Bully by Tony and Lauren Dungy as well as Presenting…Tallulah by Tori Spelling. She hopes that when people look at her work, it will make them feel happy in some way, or even reclaim a bit of their childhood.
Anonymous
Posted October 25, 2010
I bought this book for my 3 yr old. I read to her every night and her and I both love this one. I read a couple negative reviews posted here and all I can say is it's a children's book. Children's books should only go so deep. The story line makes perfect sense to me and it's an enjoyable read. It's so much more fun than reading those old children's books from your Grandma's days that kids don't understand. This is a very cute, modern tale that my daughter gets and enjoys.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 25, 2010
Even though I haven't read, I got a sneak peek and it was amazing it jus makes me want to read it even more! I love Tori Spelling so I know this book is going to be great!
2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 18, 2013
Really enjoyed reading to my son. Even bought copies for my neice and friends' kids.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 11, 2012
My 2 year old daughter loves this book! She is still young enough where we can read it for years and she will still be able to enjoy it! Its a very cute story and teaches her the being different is not a bad thing.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Tallulah is not supposed to get dirty. Or talk loudly. Or make a mess. She isn't that kind of girl. Tallulah can't wear jeans or sneakers to school or keep her hair down or do any of the other things that the other kids do every day.
According to her parents, Tallulah is special and that makes her different. But Tallulah doesn't want to be different. It's hard to have fun or make friends when everyone is busy telling you the things you can do because you're different.
When Max, the new boy in school, stands up for Tallulah (and assists with a risky pug puppy rescue) Tallulah starts to see that sometimes being different can be okay. And most of the time the best of friends like you just the way you are in Presenting . . . Tallulah (September 2010) by Tori Spelling* and Vanessa Brantley Newton.
There are a lot of books about being different learning that it's okay to be yourself even if that might mean being a little silly, or weird, or not mosterly. Some of them are quite bad using cliches and heavy handed writing to convey their message while ultimately creating major issues in the story.
Presenting Tallulah has none of those problems. This was a delightful story about a little girl many kids can relate to. Maybe not everyone goes to school in a limo, but who hasn't been told to be quiet and not get dirty? This story captures that (and Tallulah's rather . . . opulent . . . . lifestyle) without making it a big thing. Tallulah is who she is and, as she learns, that's okay. I liked that instead of beating readers over the head with this message, it's just at the core of the text.
Newton's illustrations are also fantastic. The style is reminiscent of illustrations by Lauren Child (of Charlie and Lola fame) which probably means a similar medium (that I am unequipped to identify) is being used here. It's no secret that Tallulah is based on Tori Spelling. And Newton captures that while combining broad strokes and line work to create intricate illustrations that bring Tallulah's world to life.
Presenting Tallulah is sure to be a fun addition to any story time with simple, short sentences and a well-paced plot. Hopefully this charmer won't be the last to feature Tallulah, Max and Mimi.
*With contributions by Hilary Liftin who is apparently a ghostwriter. I could get into who actually "wrote" the book or the recent number of celebrities putting pen to paper. But I'm not going to because this book deserves better and is more than able to stand on its own with or without is celebrity author.
Possible Pairings: Bark, George by Jules Feffer, Mostly Monsterly by Tammi Sauer and Scott Magoon, For Pete's Sake by Ellen Stoll Walsh
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 28, 2011
I ordered this book because my dear 4 year old daughter saw it at a storytime and asked if I would get it for her. She doesn't read social hierarchy and racial stigmas into the story...she's four! To her all people are just people. A shame as we get older we change. It is a darling story and we like it. I would recommend it to all four year olds.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 30, 2011
I am surprised that this book has such low reviews online so I felt compelled to share my point of view. I love the book, it has beautiful colorful artwork and the story is very engaging. I got it from the library for my niece and she loved it so much that she only wanted to read that book even though we got like 15 others at the library. I renewed it from the library and I am buying it online now. Even my 3 yr old nephew loved the book. My sister loved it too and couldn't believe that Tori Spelling had written such a great book, haha. You should definitely give it a chance.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 23, 2010
I thought this book would be about a girl who was different and then learned that it was okay for her to be different because she found a way for people to accept her for who she was. I was wrong.
The story actually is kind of depressing. You see (via the illustrations- which are awesome by the way) a girl that is alone. She is being told to be quiet while her mom is on the phone, she's looking longingly out of the window- wanting to go outside and play but she can't and she is standing alone in the family dining room.
All of the kids at school stare at her and make fun of how prim and proper she is (she goes to Elementary School wearing amazing dresses, carrying purses, wearing diamond earrings and with sushi for lunch). Then, the new boy Max arrives at school- he's dressed in a suit and tie- and is seemingly out of place like Tori, err Tallulah. Instantaneously I think that Max and Tallulah will be fast friends and the other kids will see how much fun they have together at school and will want to join in on the fun, makes sense, right?
Actually, the students find a puppy floating on a log at a fishpond near the school playground (where are the teachers or playground attendants?). None of the students are interested in helping the dog because he's "ugly" and they all walk away. (How old are these kids? At a real school- someone would have told an adult) Tallulah gets all messy trying to rescue said dog, cleans it up and brings it home- naming the puppy Mimi. (Ring a bell? That's because Tori Spelling had a dog- who passed away- named Mimi La Rue)
At first her parents don't want her to keep the dog because dogs "are dirty, smell bad and are messy." Tallulah has her big moment where she is able to tell her parents what kind of girl she really is- a girl that likes to wear jeans, build clay mountains and rescue dogs.
The happy ending is that she gets to keep the dog, cleans up after him and is able to get dirty and messy herself along with Max and Mimi.
The character development in this book is very. weird. It is almost lacking proper character development. I am also very confused about the role of Max in this story and how he helps Tallulah figure out who she really is.
On the copyright page of the book, the summary reads as follows: "Tallulah is always being told what she cannot do because of the kind of girl people perceive her to be, but with the help of the new boy in school, she finds a way to just be herself."
Max has probably two lines in this whole book. So how exactly is it that he helps her just be herself? Is it because he stood there and watched her while she rescued a puppy from a floating log in a pond?
It feels to me like the book does not flow very well and leaves the reader confused.The first half of the book reads well, but then Max comes in and the puppy and the whole book is in disarray- so is this book about Tallulah or the puppy? I think the ending could have been better and Tori could have found a way to get her message across without bringing the puppy into it.
The book, though, is filled with undertones of Tori's childhood- with lines like "You like like a fancy, gift-wrapped box," well if you know about the Spelling family you know that Tori's mother- Candy Spelling has a room dedicated to gift wrapping.
I am not certain that this is a book that I would purchase for anyone else, but I'm sure that it will sell very well. It is a Tori Spelling book and let's be honest, people love
1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 26, 2010
Only members of a certain top income tax bracket will appreciate this poorly written tale of lonely wealthy child, who is bullied by her middle class peers because she takes a limo to school. Even more troubling is the first line of the story; "Tallulah was not allowed to get dirty" and the corresponding illustration which shows the rich girl gazing sadly out the window of her mansion down at her Latino gardeners. WHAT ARE YOU IMPLYING? This is awful stuff, but check it out cuz it's pretty hilarious how out of touch the author is with "ordinary" i.e. LOWER CLASS people. I hope the next book in the series shows the trauma Tallulah goes through after losing her summer home in the Hamptons and her father gets investigated for his mutiple offshore banking accounts.
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 17, 2010
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Overview
New York Times bestselling author Tori Spelling's debut picture book!
All her life, Tallulah has heard what she’s not supposed to do: Don’t get dirty…don’t talk loudly… don’t wear jeans like all the other kids. “You’re not that kind of girl,” everybody keeps telling her. Tallulah knows plenty about what she can’t do and what she shouldn’t do, about what kind of girl she isn’t. But it’s up to her to figure out what kind of girl she is. New York Times bestselling author Tori ...