Book of the Week

The first Stella book I ever read was Stella, Queen of the Snow. It was a Christmas gift, about 10 years ago. My friend had written inside the front cover, "Stella, Queen of the Snow... for Erin, the queen of Christmas!" Well, of course I loved it right away. There have been other Stella books between then and now, and we have loved them all. Stella explains the world around her to her little (and very inquisitive) brother Sam in each book. She reassures him and steers his imagination away from worrisome thoughts. She is bold and adventurous and full of fun. Her hair is fiery red and wild. What's not to love, right? I love when she tells Sam that the sun goes to bed wearing red pajamas, and that it gets to sleep in on rainy days, and when she explains to him that snowmen eat snowflakes for breakfast! The pictures in it are simply beautiful, watery and pale but full of delightful little details. When Stella Was Very, Very Small is, I think, even better than the books that came before it. It's lovely to hear about the things that Stella used to do when she was very small, and the things she used to think, and then to read all about what it's like now that she is bigger. It reminds me so much of Dylan, explaining things to Sawyer, sharing the knowledge he has acquired and being very proud of himself. Usually books about growing up make me feel a bit sad. But not this book. It made me feel happy about the adventures that lie ahead of my two gorgeous little boys. I love it. And I think you will too.