Silly Lilly and the Four Seasons: Toon Books Level 1

by Agnes Rosenstiehl

Overview

"Dick and Jane may now pack up their things and leave town for good. In this little marvel of distilled storytelling, five wee seasonal vignettes, starting and ending with spring, place a spry young girl in familiar situations that give free rein to her curiosity and love of action...To know Lilly is to want to know what she has to say."—Publishers Weekly

"Enjoy the simple but dynamite graphics from Agnès Rosenstiehl. It's as if Tintin had gone to preschool."—Chicago Tribune

Lilly is a spunky little girl who delights in the pleasures of each season, peering inside shells in the summer and tasting different kinds of apples in the fall. A charming, subtle book by one of France’s premier children’s book authors, Lilly learns about the outdoors and introduces the youngest readers to the colors, words, shapes that arise in nature.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781935179238
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	02/12/2013
Series:	Toon: Level 1
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Agnès Rosenstiehl was born in Paris, France in 1941 into a family of artists. She studied French literature at the Sorbonne and Composition at the Conservatoire National and went on from there to become one of France's most esteemed children's book authors. Among her many works are Mon Larousse, a dictionary for youngest readers; Le Livre de la Langue Francaise (The Book of the French Language), published by Gallimard; and Paris-Pékin par le Transsibérien (Paris-Pekin by the Transiberian), which she illustrated and co-wrote with her husband, a mathematician, after an inspirational family trip. Agnès happens to be an expert on the poems of France's illustrious poet, Arthur Rimbaud, and her work has been published in several professional journals.

Agnès is most well-known for her young heroine Mimi Cracra, who has appeared in over 100 books and pamphlets and has inspired a French television series. Rosenstiehl's books have been translated into eight languages, including Japanese and Chinese. Agnès conceived Mimi Cracra’s English language début, Silly Lilly and the Four Seasons, especially for the TOON Books collection. Silly Lilly in What Will I Be Today? is that title's eagerly-awaited follow-up.

Between Agnès and her husband, they have seven children and fifteen grandchildren. They live in a country house with a garden, hidden in the center of Paris.

Editorial Reviews

This graphic-early-reader entry from Toon Books is itself an objet d'art. The slight story, in basic comic-book format, briefly and joyfully bounds through the seasons at the rate of four panels per page. The crisp, bright watercolors depict Lilly, a bouncy, endearing child with black pigtails and vim for life, as she happily engages each season. In the spring chapter, "Silly Lilly at the Park," she shows her teddy bear what she likes to do at the park: dance, jump and nap. In summer, she daintily tiptoes through the shore's shallow water, clad in her red two-piece, finding little treasures and surprising herself with a snail hidden within a shell. Fall is summed up in bite-size tastes of a sampling of colorful apples. Winter, of course, offers bountiful snow and Lilly's wayward snowballs. Emergent readers will be drawn to Lilly's ebullient perspective and captivated by the uncluttered layout; the easy lesson on the seasons is a bonus. (Early reader. 5-7)

Kirkus Reviews

Publishers Weekly's Best Children's Picture Books of 2008
Association for Library Service to Children's Graphic Novels Reading List 2013 and 2014

"Dick and Jane may now pack up their things and leave town for good. In this little marvel of distilled storytelling, five wee seasonal vignettes, starting and ending with spring, place a spry young girl in familiar situations that give free rein to her curiosity and love of action...To know Lilly is to want to know what she has to say."—Publishers Weekly

"Enjoy the simple but dynamite graphics from Agnès Rosenstiehl. It's as if Tintin had gone to preschool."—Chicago Tribune

"This graphic-early-reader entry from TOON Books is itself an objet d'art. The slight story, in basic comic-book format, briefly and joyfully bounds through the seasons at the rate of four panels per page...Emergent readers will be drawn to Lilly's ebullient perspective and captivated by the uncluttered layout; the easy lesson on the seasons is a bonus."—Kirkus Reviews

"Silly Lilly is just delightful, simple words and clear art that just entrance readers young and old... Each tale focuses on one simple thing, but does so in such a way that a child can find a real bond with this fun little girl. It's quite the perfect book for an emerging reader and, as discovered by Louise, one that may have as much appeal to an older audience, who'll see a nostalgic look back to the simple picture books of their childhood. Either way, it's quite lovely."—ForbiddenPlanet.co.uk

Minimal text and simple cartoons follow Silly Lilly through the course of a year... the child delights in the smallest discoveries. She wonders about a tiny snail, the taste of fall apples, and snow. The quiet humor... will be appreciated by young audiences."—AccessMyLibrary.com

"There are few distractions from the text, and the rhythm of repeated panels is reassuring... simple enough to be pleasing to a child who is just mastering reading, as each chapter will feel like an accomplishment... The words and the art work together to tell the story —- the pictures alone won’t suffice. Agnes Rosenstiehl’s art is simple and almost Art Deco in style; shapes are simple, colors are unmodulated and bounded by heavy lines. This rather cool style... gives the book a simple, pleasing and timeless look... just right for an early reader for whom just being able to read an entire story is thrill enough."—Kidsreads.com and Graphic Novel Reporter

"The images here are simple and Rosenstiehl's line is warm. That warmth will immediately draw in young readers who are used to similar imagery in books they've seen up to that point in their lives. The panel-to-panel transitions here as Lilly throws a snowball or gets on a swing are simple to understand and will spur on a child's understanding of how movement can be portrayed on the page."—Sequart.com


"Spunky Lilly dances, skips, and jumps through the pages of this charming book as she explores each season's distinct pleasures, which include springtime in a park, a beach in summer, apple picking in the fall, and snow in the wintertime. With its simple text and illustrations, this comic is perfect for new readers."—School Library Journal

"Lilly is bold and engaging in both her rounded, childlike appearance and her heartfelt approach to the real world and to her imagined one."—Booklist

"Silly Lilly, a precocious young girl, explores the world around her with her trusty teddy bear in these fun graphic novels for beginning readers... With no characters besides Lilly, this is truly a child’s perspective of the world, full of playfulness and wonder. And even though it features a female main character, her experiences should resonate with readers of all genders.
The simple art style is reminiscent of vintage comics like Little Orphan Annie and Little Jinx, but still feels fresh and modern. The bright, primary colors will appeal to the target audience. Most pages consist of two side-by-side panels that are easy to follow from left to right, introducing first-time comic readers to the format. The books themselves are presented beautifully, with thick, matte pages and sturdy, hardcover binding. The books use basic words appropriate for early readers that would work as a read-aloud or as an independent book for those just starting to read. Other learning concepts like colors, days of the week, seasons, counting, and opposites are incorporated into the story without being explicit about it. Parents and educators can even use the lesson plans provided by the publisher for additional guided learning. An iOS app for reading the first book is also available for purchase. The Silly Lilly books would be a welcome addition to any collection that serves young readers."—Kidsreads.com and Graphic Novel Reporter

"Lilly, who is already familiar to children of the author's native France as Mimi Cracra, is Little Lulu with dance lessons. Apple-cheeked and graceful, she's nobody's fool, and her expressive action poses double as telltale clues to the child poised to begin decoding the printed word independently."—AccessMyLibrary.com

"Silly Lilly and the Four Seasons by Agnes Rosenstiehl explores each of the four seasons with a familiar sense of awe and wonder that we all felt as a child. This adorable book so creatively introduces young readers to the four seasons and to the inevitable changes that unfold outdoors... this book is so naturally and playfully interwoven with many literary elements such as sight words, color words, sequencing, and science concepts."—Smart Baby Kid

From the Publisher