Stella & Marigold (Stella & Marigold #1)

The creators of Ivy & Bean return in this delightful series kickoff for early readers that follows sisters Stella and Marigold. In a beginning flashback, three-year-old Stella's parents drop her off at her grandmother's house, where she awaits their return from the hospital with her baby sister in tow. Upon the siblings' first meeting, Stella promises to tell newborn Marigold "all the secret things I know," a vow that sets the tone for the sisters' budding relationship. After Marigold, now four, lies about having clogged the bathroom sink, her parents struggle to understand her decision-making processes. But older sister Stella, seven, "who explained the world to her," has instant compassion for Marigold and helps to restore her confidence in herself and her relationships. Marigold in turn saves the day when a new girl threatens to steal Stella's best friend. Short chapters by Barrows burst with vibrant and colorful illustrations by Blackall that bring the pale-skinned girls and their playful imaginations to life. The experience of being misunderstood by grown-ups is relatably rendered via the sisters' interactions; readers will long for a sibling like Marigold or Stella. Ages 6-9. (Oct.)

Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 1-3--Barrows and Blackall, the team behind "Ivy and Bean," debut a feisty new duo in this slim chapter book. An opening flashback introduces Stella at age three, waiting in her family's "half-house" (the lower half of a duplex) for her parents to return from the hospital with newborn Marigold. The sisters' bond is immediate, with Stella whispering promises to tell Marigold "all the secret things I know...forever and ever." By ages seven and four, the sisters follow the tradition of countless literary pairs with polite and reserved Stella serving as a foil to plucky, mischievous Marigold. Each of the seven chapters functions as a complete narrative, with no overarching plot uniting them. The common thread is the sisters' mutual devotion, with each vignette providing an opportunity for one sister to serve as heroine to the other, protecting her from embarrassment and guilt or rescuing her from loneliness and boredom. Their relationship is never a source of narrative conflict and is always essential in its resolution. As always, Barrows offers a spot-on childlike perspective that is both funny and keenly observant. Blackall's whimsical illustrations capture the sisters' individual personalities and their shared adoration. Main characters are white. VERDICT This very witty, very tender ode to sisterhood is a first purchase.--Amy Reimann

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

All the heart. None of the pablum. Sisterhood at its finest and freshest.

Sweeps readers into a world of childhood misadventures and understanding family members...it's a promising start for the Stella Marigold series.

Barrows and Blackall walk this tightrope with skill, cheekiness, and palpable pleasure, their tightly interdependent approach to narrative mirroring the supportive and loving relationship of their two stalwart protagonists.