Meet Ella: Birthday Surprise by Rebecca McRitchie, illustrated by Danielle McDonald (Scholastic) PB RRP $7.99 ISBN 9781760973933
Reviewed by Nikki M Heath
From the world of Ella and Olivia come these early reader chapter books, the third and fourth in the Meet Ella series. In Tooth Trouble, Ella is vexed by losing her first tooth just before school photos. In Birthday Surprise, Ella tries to make a cake for her best friend’s birthday but has a minor catastrophe along the way.
The
stories are sweet and simple and focus on many of the things that little girls
like best. There are sweet friendships and little learning moments like writing
a shopping list for the supermarket. However, there is little narrative
tension, and most chapters end without much driving the reader to continue: for
reluctant readers, this may make it difficult for them to push through to the
end.
There are illustrations on each page in black and white using a cartoon style, providing children guidance to the text without adding layers of meaning.
These are good books for early readers aged 5 to 7, particularly those whose interests lean
strongly to the feminine.
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