Commentaire descriptif

Lillian must do a Show and Tell in her new school by the end of the week. The butterflies in her stomach turn to grasshoppers and, as the week proceeds, to animals even bigger and more unruly. All children will relate to Lillian’s concern about being different. Lillian’s life with her mother in a women’s shelter is inserted gracefully, as backstory to Lillian’s school woes. The issue of family violence is treated in a comprehensible, child-friendly manner while the language is skillful in grounding complicated and ambivalent emotions for young readers: “They’d moved into the shelter because he had a bad temper. . . . They’d left all their things behind. Including Lillian’s toys.” The illustrations are bright and sketchy, alive with movement and expression. As Lillian frets about her lack of toys for Show and Tell, her innocuous necklace of plastic beads appears in every image. She wears them in class; she drags them behind her on the walk back to the shelter. They are tossed on the bed when Lillian cuddles with her mother. Finally, when it’s her turn to Show and Tell, Lillian wows the class—and readers—with a presentation about her “magic” beads. The uplifting finish suggests to young readers that we all carry within us almost everything we need.