I’ve been a long time fan of Sarah Mackenzie, so needless to say, I was excited to read her debut picture book, A Little More Beautiful. It exceeded my expectations! Even though I’d already seen snippets of the story, it still managed to make me cry. (Maybe that doesn’t sound like a good thing, but for me, it means an excellent, heartwarming read!).
The Story
Lou Alice is “swift as a bird and sly as a fox.” Depicted as an active older woman, she is determined to make her world a little more beautiful. And for Lou Alice, that means planting a garden secretly at night. No one notices except one little girl. While the beautiful garden effects the attitudes of every passerby, it’s Lou Alice’s actions that have the most profound effect on that girl. I won’t spoil the ending, but I think it will leave you and your kids wanting to make the world a little more beautiful.
What I loved
Homage to a classic–Avid readers won’t be able to miss the references to the classic picture book Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney. Just like Miss Rumphius, Lou Alice seeks to make the world a little more beautiful. And many of the illustrations in this new book have images of lupines, the flower Miss Rumphius (who was based on a real person) famously planted.
Visual details–Illustrator Breezy Brookshire poured a lot of beautiful details into this book One detail that kids are sure to notice and love is the tabby cat visible on each page spread.
Combining new and classic–This rare book combines both modern expectations about language and length with a classic style and sensibility. It’s really the best of both worlds, and I think you and your kids will love it!
Giveaway
Depending on when you read this, I’ve got a giveaway running of this beautiful book! But even if you’re too late, I usually have something running on my giveaway page! Be sure to check it out!
