I recently signed up to review books for The Children’s Book Council of Australia and they will all be posted on their interview and book review site, Reading Time. Lily in the Mirror is the first title I’ve reviewed and here’s a taste:
If dictionaries allowed photos, I think Paula Hayes’ Lily would be the picture next to the definition of ‘precocious’. Lily may be a bookworm and an introvert, but her voice and her heart are filled to bursting with the things she wants to tell the world, but doesn’t.
Lucy is Chinese, but diversity isn’t an overriding theme in the book. Instead, it is presented as something she is, in an otherwise regular family, i.e. a family with which any reader would be familiar – parents and grandparents she loves and siblings she tolerates somewhat.
Check out the rest of my review here.
I love the cover design for this one. And the approach re diversity sounds perfect!
Isn’t it just? It’s such a cheerful book, despite Lily having a fondness for the darker things in life lol
Oh how fun! Thanks for sharing – I like when diversity is just SHOWN in picture books sometimes and not made into a big deal. You need both types!
It was heaps of fun to read and Lily is a gem, even if I suspect she would be exhausting to keep up with if she were real! And you’re right, she is Chinese, but really it’s mentioned once or maybe twice and that’s it. She could be any kid if that hadn’t been mentioned at all.
This sounds well done and I kind of love precocious children. Wonderful review!