Review - The Girls

The Girls
by Lauren Ace
illustrated by Jenny Løvlie
Date: 2018
Publisher: Rodale Kids
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

A timeless picture book for friends of all ages, The Girls celebrates kindness, supportiveness, and the power of true friendship.

Meet the girls: Sasha, Lottie, Alice, and Leela.

These four best friends spend their days playing beneath the branches of their favorite apple tree. As the tree grows tall and reaches across the sky, so do they . . .

. . . growing from little girls into big girls . . .

. . . and from big girls into women!

Through their shared secrets, dreams, worries, and schemes, their friendship grows ever stronger. Even when their adventures take them in different directions, the girls always stay rooted together.

The Girls is a celebration of lasting friendship for every girl . . . big or little.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

The synopsis pretty much sums this one up. It's about friendship, supportiveness, and kindness. There's no real story, other than the one that we all face, which is growing up.

While the illustrations are cute and the text is competent, I just couldn't connect to this one. It almost seems more like a little book a woman might make as a gift for her friends, celebrating their years of friendship. It seems oddly personal, in a way, and perhaps that's why I couldn't really relate. (Maybe if you have a tight-knit group of friends such as the one portrayed here, there might be more resonance.)

I think this is one of those books whose success is going to rely heavily on finding a very specific audience. Coupled with the fact that it follows the girls into adulthood (including marriage and motherhood), it might be a bit of a tough sell for younger readers.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.33 out of 5