STELLA ENDICOTT AND THE ANYTHING-IS-POSSIBLE POEM

Litercurious Book Review

Title	Stella Endicott and the Anything-Is-Possible Poem
Author/Illustrator	Kate DiCamillo / Chris Van Dusen
Publisher	Candlewick Press (June 2020)
Format	Kindle, Audiobook, Hardcover
Pages	96
Language	English
ASIN	B07ZRCKGC6

AUTHOR

Katrina Elizabeth DiCamillo is an accomplished author and is known for her fictional children’s books. She is one of six people to win the Newberry Medal twice. She was appointed the U.S. National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Library of Congress for the term 2014 and 2015. She writes novels, chapter books, picture books and short stories. Several of her stories have been made into motion pictures. You can visit Kate’s website here.

WHO IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE?

Stella Endicott and the Anything-Is-Possible Poem is written for children 5-10 years old.

SYNOPSIS

Stella Endicott and the Anything-Is-Possible Poem is the story of a young second grader and her antagonist Horace. Stella is an imaginative young girl who likes to fantasize about wizards and castles. Horace is the obnoxious know-it-all that every class has. The two are at ends on most things, but everything unravels when they start arguing in class.

The two get sent to the Principles office but Horace runs off. Stella gives chase and then things go really bad. They have to bind together and provide each other comfort to escape their ordeal.

CONCLUSION

Stella Endicott and the Anything-Is-Possible Poem is a very good book. It provides education and storytelling all in one. The characters are well crafted and believable. The plot is suspenseful and intellectual. The prose is age appropriate and easily to follow. There is the heroine and the antagonist and circumstance forces them to work together. The end of story lesson is relevant and educational.

The illustrations in this pre-release are not the final press release pictures. That said, they are splendid. Chris is an excellent artist and his characters are beautifully rendered. If the final release is anything like the cover, then this will be a delightfully colored picturesque book. I do love the pig and “balloon head Horace.”

Overall, Stella Endicott and the Anything-Is-Possible Poem is an excellent book. Children will absolutely love this story and its characters. When the final release is complete, I have no doubt that the illustrations will only add to the appeal of this little gem.

SPECIAL MENTION – ILLISTRATOR

Chris Van Dusen is an accomplished author and illustrator. He started drawing when he was a child living in Portland, Maine. Back then he loved drawing aliens, monsters and robots. He attended the University of Massachusetts where he earned a BFA in 1982. He did a few odd jobs after graduation but finally started freelance drawing cartoons and illustrations for magazines. He published his first book in 2000. If you would like to learn more about Chris, you can find his website here, and you can watch his drawing tutorials here or catch him on Facebook here.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank Kate DiCamillo and Candlewick Press for affording me the opportunity to review Stella Endicott and the Anything-Is-Possible Poem.