Itty Bitty Betty Blob

by Constance Lombardo, Micah Player (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Built on the universal theme of being yourself, this is a humorous and catchy story about a blob trying to be scarier. It's a fresh take on a familiar theme that will appeal to young monster fans.

A June Amazon Best of the Month
A June B&N Most Anticipated Kids’ Book
A July/August Kids’ Indie Next Pick


Itty Bitty Betty Blob tries to be bad, like a good little monster--but she's NOT GOOD at being bad! This perfect picture book shows kids (4-8) that being yourself is MORE than enough. With a heartstopping story and art by Constance Lombardo and Micah Player.

"Itty Bitty Betty Blob’s nicely balanced combination of humor, emotion and inspiration makes it an absolute treat of a read—a warm and wonderful reminder to celebrate our differences and dare to share joy with others." —BookPage, starred review

It's monster picture day again, and Itty Bitty Betty Blob sits in front of the mirror where she practices growling for the camera. But for Betty it's not so easy. She's not a typical monster, so she doesn't love scaring anyone. What she loves is dancing and rainbows and cute furry creatures. So when mom hands her a perfectly horrible scaly black dress to wear on picture day, Betty isn't sure. Of course she wants to make mom happy, so she practices her growls in the mirror, and tries to look as monstery as her school friends. She even heads off to school with high hopes, practicing all the way there. . . and that's when she makes a discovery and soon finds herself among new friends with ideas that just feel right.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781662640568
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	06/04/2024
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	21 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Constance Lombardo began drawing when she was 10 years old, inspired in part by the Illustrators Annuals her dad brought home from the advertising agency where he worked, and in part by her sister doing a drawing and getting lots of attention. She’s the author/illustrator of the middle grade Mr. Puffball series (HarperCollins) the picture book, Everybody Says Meow, and Hippo Park's hilarious Tiny Spoon vs. Little Fork. She lives in Asheville, NC with her family. @conlombardowrites

Micah Player began his illustration career desiging and illustrating for Paul Frank Industries. He is the author/illustrator of the picture books Chloe, Instead and the Lately Lily series (Chronicle Books). He is the illustrator more recently of two books by Lucky Diaz: Palatero Man and La Guitarrista (Harper). He lives in a little house beneath a giant tree in the Utah mountains, with a lovely schoolteacher (and wife) named Stephanie. They are the parents of two kids, one Yorkshire terrier, and several Casio keyboards. Micah's Instagram, where he shares his own illustrations and words express his feelings about the current state of the world, and is a terrific place to get to know him. @micahplayer

Editorial Reviews

05/13/2024

“Not your typical monster,” pink Itty-Bitty Betty Blob tries hard to be bad, but her interest in rainbows over rainstorms, and dancing instead of trampling, sets her apart from her peers at Ghoulington Academy. In art class, “her still life wouldn’t stay still,” and during music, her “GRRs” turn tuneful, earning her stern looks from more typically presenting monster classmates, stroked in bold blacks and grays by Player. On picture day, Betty’s mother encourages her efforts to look monstrous. But on the way to school that morning, she’s waylaid by dozens of round pink puffs, who help Betty “to be more... Betty!” as she navigates the path to picture day, and takes down expectations in the bargain, in this sweet-tempered be-yourself tale. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 4–8. (June)

Publishers Weekly

★ "Constance Lombardo’s straightforward, sweetly witty prose will have readers rooting for Betty as well as nervously holding their breath on her behalf as she dares to embrace being different. Micah Player’s boldly drawn, emotion-infused illustrations expertly embody everything from Ghoultington Academy’s imposing gothic architecture to the puffs’ extreme cuteness and manic energy. There are a lot of fun little details for itty bitty bibliophiles to discover upon rereads too. Itty Bitty Betty Blob’s nicely balanced combination of humor, emotion and inspiration makes it an absolute treat of a read—a warm and wonderful reminder to celebrate our differences and dare to share joy with others." —BookPage, starred review

"Children will enjoy the humor…and will be heartened by Betty’s willingness to embrace what makes her different...A light touch delivers an increasingly common but important message." —Kirkus Reviews

“A ‘sweet-tempered be-yourself’ tale.” —Publishers Weekly

"Itty Bitty Betty Blob is not your typical monster, being a small, round pink creature who loves rainbows, flowers, dancing, and singing...Most of the illustrations are in black, white, and gray, whereas Betty appears pink in several pictures. Humorous artwork reveals Betty’s body flattening out during sleep, shower time, and while sliding under a log in the forest. Youngsters will get a kick out of this latest tale about just being yourself." —Booklist

"I laughed, I cried, I love Betty Blob! Be Yourself and joy will follow." —Bex, Books Are Magic (Brooklyn, NY)

"A great book to show that joy and happiness can be contagious if we just be who we are. 10 out of 10, this book is a beautiful masterpiece!" —Donna, McLean & Eakin (Petoskey, MI)

"Okay, I'm in love! Itty Bitty Betty Blob, you are perfectly precious just as you are!" —Fred, Oblong Books (Rhinebeck, NY)

From the Publisher

2024-03-23
As her name suggests, Itty Bitty Betty Blob is a small, amorphous monster, but that’s not what sets her apart.

It’s Betty’s cheerful demeanor that makes her different from her peers. What kind of monster “rejoice[s] at rainbows” and “dance[s] among the dandelions”? Betty’s pink hue also distinguishes her from her classmates, who are rendered in a black-and-white palette, and makes her stand out in her rather somber, expressionistic setting. Brief, alliterative sentences keep the pages turning as readers learn about her trouble fitting in at school: While the other students faithfully reproduce a still life of dead flowers on a table, hers is a vibrant image of a living, yellow daisy. The crisis comes to a head on picture day. Despite the dreadful outfit her mother selects, Betty can’t grimace fiercely enough. As she travels through the spooky forest to school, the diminutive monster is distracted by a pink puff. Following it, she encounters an entire fluffy community that encourages her to be true to herself. Her frightful frock becomes an extravaganza of flowers. The climax involves a mood transformation for the entire class as puffs emerge from Betty’s dress, tickling everyone as the flash goes off. Children will enjoy the humor in the reversal of expectations around classroom culture—and will be heartened by Betty’s willingness to embrace what makes her different—although subsequent readings don’t yield much more.

A light touch delivers an increasingly common but important message. (Picture book. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews