Silly Lilly and the Four Seasons (Hardcover)

by Agnes Rosenstiehl (Author, Illustrator), Francoise Mouly (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 1–Minimal text and simple cartoons follow Silly Lilly through the course of a year. Each seasonal adventure is a complete story in which the child delights in the smallest discoveries. She wonders about a tiny snail, the taste of fall apples, and snow. The quiet humor will not bring on belly laughs, but will be appreciated by young audiences. The simplified comic-book format has one to two panels per page. Each panel has one dialogue balloon; each balloon has a single sentence. The short sentences and large print make this a good choice for beginning readers. The descriptive illustrations assist with the storytelling and make this book adaptable for preliteracy conversations. This small-sized book is best read alone or shared one to one.–Carolyn Janssen, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH
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Review
Another successful entry in the new Toon imprint (see Benny and Penny and Otto's Orange Day, also reviewed in this issue), this book is aimed at brand-new readers. Rosenstiehl follows Lilly (who appears to be three or four years old) as she undertakes simple, familiar activities through the seasons. In spring, she plays with her toy bear in the park; in summer, she's off to the beach; in fall, she picks and eats apples; in winter, she plays in the snow. When spring returns, she soars on a swing. Lilly is bold and engaging in both her rounded, childlike appearance and her heartfelt approach to the real world and to her imagined one. The text is very brief (only a few words per panel), the colors are warm and bright, and the panels are large enough to draw in children new to books and reading. A good fit for the intended audience. --Francisca Goldsmith, Booklist

Signature Review by Leonard S. Marcus
'What is there about Comics that makes children like them so well?' An exasperated schoolteacher posed this question in an article from the 1940s chronicling the uphill battle she and her colleagues were then waging against comic books, which they considered sub-literary fare. The battle lines have long since been redrawn, the graphic novel having attained critical mass and the comics aesthetic having slowly inched its way toward children's literature respectability on the backs of occasional forays into the genre by Maurice Sendak and others, and of more sustained efforts such as the Little Lit series edited by Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly. Now New Yorker art director Mouly, with Spiegelman as in-house adviser, takes the field again with the release of the first three titles from Toon Books, an innovative line of early readers presented in comics format.

On the evidence of Rosenstiehl's initial contribution, Dick and Jane may now pack up their things and leave town for good. In this little marvel of distilled storytelling, five wee seasonal vignettes, starting and ending with spring, place a spry young girl in familiar situations that give free rein to her curiosity and love of action. As Lilly plays in the park, finds a snail at the shore, samples a basket of apples, hurls snowballs and swings on a swing, her bright thoughts and warblings appear overhead in speech balloons, in words of one to three syllables. Twice, a teddy bear serves as the straight man; in the winter scene, for example, he impassively takes a snowball on the chin ('Oops! Sorry, Teddy! I was only kidding!'). This comic moment, like others that Rosenstiehl extracts from her rigorously pared-down materials, draws us directly into Lilly's emotional world, where attention is routinely paid to everything, from a lowly dandelion on up. To know Lilly is to want to know what she has to say.

Lilly, who is already familiar to children of the author's native France as Mimi Cracra, is Little Lulu with dance lessons. Apple-cheeked and graceful, she's nobody's fool, and her expressive action poses double as telltale clues to the child poised to begin decoding the printed word independently. Rosenstiehl's uncomplicated layouts two panes of equal size per page, four per spread and minimalist backdrops likewise keep the focus where it belongs: on the adventure of taking the measure of everyday things, whether it be a tiny sea creature washed up by a wave or the words I'm flying. Ages 4-up. --Leonard Marcus, Publishers Weekly

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 36 pages
• Publisher: Raw Junior, LLC; illustrated edition edition (April 7, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979923816
• ISBN-13: 978-0979923814
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #498,837 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A joyous journey through the seasons., July 9, 2008

By	Martha Kaelin - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Silly Lilly is a wonderfully illustrated comic for young child. The springy little girl makes simple observations about the change in seasons, but the book itself is quite innovative! Young children will understand the passage of time visually AND literally. The book allows children to develop visual literacy- a vital skill for any young reader!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cute and Easy To Read, April 18, 2009

By	N. Manning (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This time around I'm reviewing the first three books published in this series of graphic novels for emergent readers. The struggling reader (8yo) enjoyed the others so much we went out and bought the first three. So he has now read the entire line of Toon Books and anxiously awaits the publication of the next set.

They are around 30-odd pages each.

This is the easiest of the first three books. Simple words, large letters and divided into five parts as Lilly enjoys each season of the year, starting and ending with Spring. My struggling reader had no problems reading this book at all. The illustrations are really cute too!

Highly recommend any one of the 8 books in this series published so far.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely walk through the seasons, April 17, 2009

By	R. Bruton "Richard Bruton" (UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Like all Toon Books, the first thing you'll notice about Silly Lilly is the beautiful presentation of this exquisite hardback with sumptuous design. Louise (my dear wife) and Molly (aged 9) read this one first and both really enjoyed it. Louise was particularly taken with it and said it really reminded her of the sorts of books she remembers from her childhood. Having read it later myself I have to concur with these two esteemed judges of great books. Silly Lilly is just delightful, simple words and clear art that just entrance readers young and old.

The Silly Lilly character is based on Rosenstiehl's "Mimi Cracra" character published for years in her native France and is a masterfully simple tale. Or rather a series of five tales, cycling through the seasons, beginning and ending with spring. Each season takes just five pages including the title page, but that's enough, as the energetic and graceful Lilly dances her way across the pages, playing in the park with Teddy, exploring the beach, tasting apples in the fall, playing in the snow and finally flying on a swing. Each tale focuses on one simple thing,but does so in such a way that a child can find a real bond with this fun little girl.

The economy of story-telling is perfect for the age group with each page just two large panels, of clear black line and a subtle watercolour texture on the minimalist backgrounds. The language is as minimal as the backgrounds, never too difficult and with each sentence ending with an exclamation mark, it's a fun, fast read.

It's quite the perfect book for an emerging reader and, as discovered by Louise, one that may have as much appeal to an older audience, who'll see a nostalgic look back to the simple picture books of their childhood. Either way, it's quite lovely.