Sadie is a little girl with a big imagination. She has been a girl who lived under the sea and a boy raised by wolves. She has had adventures in wonderland and visited the world of fairytales. She whispers to the dresses in her closet and talks to birds in the treetops. She has wings that take her anywhere she wants to go, but that always bring her home again. She likes to make things -- boats out of boxes and castles out of cushions. But more than anything Sadie likes stories, because you can make them from nothing at all. For Sadie, the world is so full of wonderful possibilities ... This is Sadie, and this is her story.
okay, i am going to get all my picture book reviews out of the way before i tackle the rest of my pending reviews/make-up work, because they are too big for the to-be-reviewed mountain on my windowsill, and i do not want to risk any thanksgiving day avalanches.
in my opinion, this is a perfect book. and while it's true i tend to up-rate the picture books i read just because they're like a little pop of candy and who's not gonna five-star candy? this one hits every funny-bone in my heart. first of all, the artwork is just gorgeous
which is what draws me to picture books in the first place, duh, but here, the text is perfectly-suited to the art and it's this joyful celebration of the imagination that made me smile with every page.
it's about sadie; a little girl who is both bookish and crafty, who doesn't distinguish between friends who live down the street and friends who live in books, who has wings and a tail and tea parties, and who is very concerned about the feelings of inanimate objects like dresses.
to sadie, the journey is just even more important than the destination:
She's looking for land. Only she's not looking too hard.
and i love the nod to the stretched-time feel of childhood
Sadie sails all the way round her room, and back again. And it still isn't even time for breakfast.
it really made me recherche those temps perdu, boy...
especially when we see how handy with a hammer sadie is
and when iiii was little, i made a whole richard scarry-like busy busy town for this little bb that was my friend (which is not at all pathetic so shushify!) and i had a hammer and TWO DIFFERENT saws and i would raid my dad's workbench for nails and screws and washers and wood scraps and it was glorious. sniff.
and i find i can still relate to sadie's experience of life:
although, in my case it's less about the overwhelming banquet of possibility and more about being stressed out and worried and overwhelmed.
i discovered this book when it was a semi-finalist in the goodreads picture book of the year category - i fell in love with the cover, ran right out and bought it and then BAM - it was bounced out of the running. but i don't even care because it's a fantastic book and it'll always be a winner in my eyes!
observe: the inside of the cover is also a poster.
full review to come as i work my way through the towering backlog - i just wanted to let this book know i am waving my tiny banner for it.
This book is everything. This book is about as perfect as a book could possibly be. This book isn't just about Sadie. This book is about us all. We are all Sadie. Some of us just have to look harder to find her within ourselves than others. But she is there.
Gift this book to your daughters to show them they can do anything or be anyone they want to be. Gift this to your sons to show them it's OK to be "like a girl." Sadie is a role model to kids and adults alike. Let's not forget there's a Sadie in all of us.
Ugh, this book is so stupidly pretty and whimsical and sweet. It captures exactly what I think childhood should be.
That being said, I don't know that this is really a book for children. Kids don't need ideas on how to be kids. I think This is Sadie is a little bit more for nostalgic adults who like cute-as-hell things and want to read cute-as-hell things to their kids than it is for kids.
This is Sadie is a celebration of childhood, imagination, and storytelling. It is one of those books that will make an adult sigh and become nostalgic for those brief years where dragons slumbered nearby and imagination was fuller of stories than you know, what happens if bills aren’t paid.
So.
Sadie is a girl who finds the lives life to the fullest and this life is full of the most amazing things. Boxes become boats or snail shells. Friends live down the street but also snug in the pages of a favourite book. Sadie is both a hero and a mermaid.
I loved this book. Kind of a lot. I’ve read it seven times already and I think I may read it a lot more times before I put it a way.
The lovely thing about this book is the fluidity of identities it offers children. A child is not fixed into one identity or even gender (Sadie is both a mermaid and a wild boy). Childhood is a time for exploration of the different selves contained within one body and I love that the book is cognizant of this. I love that Sadie is not limited by anything and her imagination builds her the worlds she wants to inhabit.
The art by the superlative Julie Morstad perfectly matches the whimsical (but in a firm sort of way) tone of Leary’s text. The language is warm and playful and sounds wonderful when read out loud. The reader senses that though Sadie has had adventures in wonderland and been a hero in a fairy tale,her story is not yet over.
The book can be used in classrooms to discuss the power of imagination and storytelling. It can also be used as a springboard for discussions on gender and identity as well. This is Sadie will become yours (and your child’s/niece’s/nephew’s/however the child you are related to’s) favourite book, one you will be able to return once and again because there is so much verve, so much life both to the text and the art of the book.
Adults will also turn to this book and find the Sadie in themselves and live gladly; they’ll live fiercely. Just like Sadie does. Do yourselves a favour. Get this book for yourself, for your children, or for anyone you love. Yes, it’s that good.
This Is Sadie by Sara O’Leary is a gorgeous looking book. The pages are rich with colors and details. The deep, natural greens and browns combined with delicate flowers and faces make this book a wonder to flip through.
Plus I liked Sadie. She was alive with imagination and energy. A reader and explorer of life!
”Sadie’s perfect day is spent with friends. Some of them on her street, and some live in the pages of books.”
But there is one line—one word really--that I can’t seem to let go. Sadie likes to build boats out of boxes—cutting, coloring and more. But she also loves stories because they can be made out of “nothing”. Nothing? I don’t like that word here. I know what the author means—no supplies like wood or cardboard needed. BUT stories are most definitely made out of something! Imagination and voices and art all come together to create a world on the page or in the air around us. Hand gestures and words and sounds! Isn’t it amazing how one word can color and change a whole story? I do hope you check out these beautiful pages though. So many foxes to find! :)
3.5 stars Nostalgic illustrations and a charming little girl fill the pages of this picture book. While I appreciate the message of the story, I thought the author was trying too hard to be all things to the reader. The book has a little bit of humor, a little bit of whimsy, a little bit of a message, and a little bit of fantasy. However, all those little bits don't create a strong identity for the book and I think young children will pick up on that.
Still, there is a line from the book that I absolutely love: "Sadie's perfect day is spent with friends. Some of them live on her street, and some live in the pages of books." (I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.)
Author Sara O'Leary and illustrator Julie Morstad introduce us to Sadie in this lovely Canadian picture-book, detailing the imaginative young girl's many activities and games. From playing with friends down the street to those found in her beloved books, from turning boxes into sailing ships to becoming a mermaid, Sadie's imagination carries her everywhere she wants to go...
I initially tracked This Is Sadie down because I wanted to see more of illustrator Julie Morstad's work, after enjoying her art in such titles as Kyo Maclear's It Began with a Page: How Gyo Fujikawa Drew the Way and Julie Fogliano's When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons. The cover image here, of a girl in what looks to be a fox mask, was also a draw, given my interest in fox stories for children. I was not disappointed in the visuals here, finding them absolutely magical - the make-believe scenes were best, I think, with their deeply-colored backgrounds - and I thought that Sara O'Leary's simple descriptive text was well-matched to the artwork. This is a lovely depiction of the role of imaginative play in a young child's life, and it struck a chord with me, given my own games of make-believe, at a similar age. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for beautifully-illustrated stories celebrating childhood imagination and play.
I and my family read all 20 of the Goodreads Picturebook nominees for 2015 and it looks like I forgot to review this one.
This is a sweet book about friendship in nature, books, people, beautifully illustrated in pastels. I think it is sort of vague in that it is sort of a celebration of childhood. Doesn't tell a story. It's a kind of portrait without a real center or theme except the typical imagination and joy and creativity that is a mainstay in picture books, and maybe especially picture books for girls. I thought it was perfectly lovely and not that memorable. Maybe, not being a girl. But then again, see the ratings below:
Dave 3.5 stars Tara 4 stars Harry (10) 4. 5 stars Henry (9) 3.5 stars Lyra (8) 4.5 stars
I found the opening, with the narrator addressing the reader and passing on things said by Sadie, a bit on the twee side, but the illustrations are very nice and it is hard to not like a book about someone loving books. I liked the way the imaginary settings are distinguished from the real room by color backgrounds.
Recent news about the value of play has been good to see. Here (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/17/opi...) is one article from the NY Times that you might want to read, "Let The Kids Learn Through Play". And when you finish that, you can read a briefer illustration of the importance of play by reading this book, This Is Sadie. Hm-m, is that Sadie on the cover, or a young fox? "The days are never long enough for Sadie. So many things to make and do and be." And, we discover that Sadie's perfect day "is spent with friends. Some of them live on her street, and some live in the pages of books." Just imagine what that page looks like! It's a lovely book, a good time to read and enjoy with some young "playful" child.
(Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
What a delightful little book! I am convinced that I would have adored it, had I read it years ago. Still, the seventeen year-old that I am loved this book for all its beautiful drawings and the love of reading that's shared through it. There's this quote that I found adorable, especially for a children's story, and that made me wish once more that I had read it at the right age: "Sadie likes to make boats of boxes and castles out of cushions. But more than anything she likes stories, because you can make them from nothing at all."
Sadie has been a mermaid who lived under the sea, and she also has been a boy raised by wolves. She has visited Wonderland, and sailed a big box through the wide sea. She has been a hero in a fairy tale, and talked to the birds in the top of a tall tree. Sadie is a happy and imaginative girl whose days are never long enough for all the adventures waiting for her. This is the kind of book that makes you want to be a kid again...
A cute picture book about imagination, and books. I especially like how Sadie doesn't confine herself to imagining herself in the roles of girls only... sometimes she is the princess, sometimes she is the Mad Hatter...
Perfect. Julie Morstad is one of my favourite new-to-me illustrators and this is the most dear story to go with her whimsical drawings. Sadie is me. Sadie is any child who loved books and stories and imagined herself in impossible and magical situations. Also there was a mermaid picture.
It's beautiful. But I feel like this is a book for adults. It feels so nostalgic... Clearly,I'm in the minority here, but I'm skeptical about the kid-appeal.
This is Sadie was a delightful, whimsical read! I may be close to 30, but reading this sweetly-illustrated children's book brought me back in time to when I was an imaginative little girl like Sadie. I was happy to follow along with Sadie as she built blanket forts, read her favorite books, and pretended to be a mermaid and a fairy princess, all done with her faithful stuffed toy fox and animal friends in tow. Even in the midst of all this fun, Sadie is careful to remind her friends to respect others by being quiet when others are sleeping, and to be responsible by cleaning up after herself. What I love most about This is Sadie is that it also shows children that reading and using their creative imagination, they too can travel to magical places, where they can be the boy that was raised by wolves, or the girl who fell down a rabbit hole.
"Sadie likes to make boats of boxes and castles out of cushions. But more than anything she likes stories, because you can make them from nothing at all."
I cannot recommend This is Sadie more! The messages are subtle but important, and the illustrations are worthy of being hung in the living room. If you are a parent of a child who loves to read, has a great imagination, and who find beauty in everything, they will love traveling along with Sadie on her adventures.
Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC of this publication in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
This is a very simple story, and it does many things right.
I would say the book's greatest strength is its ability to balance the image of the sweet femininity of a small girl accompanied by a strong imagination and confidence. Yes, she picks out a dress to wear in the morning, but when she uses her imagination she becomes a mermaid, a sailor on the open sea, and--not Alice--but the Mad Hatter.
My favorite image of Sadie is where she is atop a white horse surrounded by faeries accompanied by the lines, "And she has played the hero in a world of fairy tales." Sadie is not the damsel in the story, and she is full of inner beauty and strength.
She tucks her stuffed fox, not doll, in to bed at night and hammers away at a wooden project in the morning. The strong confidence of Sadie's diverse interests and huge imagination will inspire girls to reconsider which character they are in the stories they read.
I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion in any way.
This is Sadie is an adorable picture book about a whimsical little girl who uses her imagination from sun up to sun down.
The story was easy to read to my children, and had a wonderful lyrical quality to it. It's also a powerful rendering of the power of a child's creativity and imagination. In addition, if you didn't already love reading (and the power of reading), you will after reading about Sadie.
The art work is absolutely phenomenal and some of the pages I would hang in my home, hands down. I loved the fact that Sadie's stuffed foxes were in each page set. Some subtle, but powerful imagery during the reading section of the book.
This is a book we will be getting in print for our own collection!
Children rarely have to dig as long or as far as do adults. It's much closer to the surface. For them within seconds, they are transformed and transported to roles and worlds of their own choosing. Their minds are free of life's accumulated clutter. They dream big all day long.
We had several vacant lots on our street when we were growing up. The one, wooded and tall with weeds, was a paradise for all of us. As soon as we crossed the boundary, we were no longer within the confines of our neighborhood. In This Is Sadie (Tundra Books, May 12, 2015) written by Sara O'Leary with illustrations by Julie Morstad a little girl reminds us of the potential of creative imagining.
This is a really cute book about a girl with an active imagination. The lovely illustrations show us some of the things that she has been in her mind (mermaid, Mad Hatter, etc.), and some of her daily activities (reading, tree-climbing, pretending she has wings, etc.). Makes me miss being a kid! If there's one thing kids don't need to be taught, it's how to have an imagination, which is why this book feels like a celebration rather than a how-to.
(In compliance with FTC guidelines, I disclose that I received this book for free through LibraryThing Early Reviewers. I was not required to write a positive review.)
To be so busy with your day because there is so much to be imagined. Sadie is a girl whose imagination is so wide and varied but grounded with ideas from books. I loved the inferencing - what does the author mean? And frequently what isn't being said is what is the most humorous. The illustrations are gorgeous and could easily be framed!
When students refuse to go home on Friday afternoon because they are clamouring to share why they love this book, you know it is a winner! Shared on my blog here: http://thereisabookforthat.com/2015/0...
Stephanie, thank you so much for recommending this! This book is an absolute delight. Simple but imaginative and full of whimsy. I almost think my favorite part, though, is that the author and illustrator have used their childhood photos on the book jacket! What a cute idea!!
Really loved this quiet and cute picture book about a little girl who loves stories. "But more than anything she likes stories, because you can make them from nothing at all."
This is a book that shows what we imagine children to be. Sadly, the Sadies are starting to disappear. Maybe if we can get books like this into enough of their hands, they will start to come back.
I liked this book. I think I will try it for story time. The story is sweet and gentle and presents a message about using your imagination. Pretty pictures and soothing words.
Okay, I liked it, the pictures are ones i want to have on my walls. But it really does feel like it's more for adults looking back on childhood than actual children. Gorgeous pictures though.
Sadie is an adventurous character who gets lost in the world of books. She spends her days dressing up, playing and reading in these imaginary adventures.