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FLORABELLE by Sasha Quinton

FLORABELLE

by Sasha Quinton ; illustrated by Brigette Barrager ; photographed by Michel Tcherevkoff

Pub Date: April 21st, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-06-229182-0
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Meet Florabelle, “a little girl with big rosy-red dreams.”

Florabelle has wondrous visions of herself as queen, ballerina and cowgirl, festooned with flowers and awash in loveliness. But with her head always in the clouds, she is often late and seldom hears or listens to what others say. Whimsical, gently humorous text depicts Florabelle’s dreams and struggles, while sparkling, pink illustrations replete with sweetness spill over the pages as Florabelle decides to show she can be serious in order to go on a trip to the beach with her caring but exasperated family. When the ocean proves more daunting than she’d supposed, Florabelle ends up stranded on shore. Can she use her imagination to help her through? Perhaps a mermaid daydream will do….The pinkalicious renderings of fairylike daydreams are created by collaging Tcherevkoff’s photographs of flowers into Barrager’s cartoons; the often overwhelming effect does get across Florabelle’s consuming distraction. This candy-coated selection escapes princess clichés by allowing Florabelle to overcome her fears, rescue herself and learn how to focus to boot. And that focus comes in handy when it’s time for sleep—she hears every loving word her mother says while tucking her in bed.

A celebration of girlyness with a strong female character, this is sure to be a favorite of all who daydream in pink.

(Picture book. 3-6)