Book Description
for My Name Is Not Isabella by Jennifer Fosberry and Mike Litwin
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
An original story for budding feminists follows a little girl through her day, beginning with her mother waking her up in the morning: “Good morning, Isabella. It’s time to get up and out of bed.” The girl responds, “My name is not Isabella.” She informs her mother that her name is Sally and she is “the greatest, toughest astronaut who ever lived.” Over the course of the day, she becomes Annie (Oakley), Rosa (Parks), Marie (Curie), and Elizabeth (Blackwell), taking on the characteristics of each woman in her imaginary play. Each time, her mother plays along, and there’s a nice surprise ending when the little girl states at the close of her day, “My name is Mommy.” An author’s note gives a brief biographical blurb on each of the great women Isabella aspires to be, including Isabella’s Mommy. Illustrator Mike Litwin’s original style shows characters with huge round heads set on tiny bodies, which sometimes has a jarringly humorous effect. (Ages 3–6)
CCBC Choices 2009. © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2009. Used with permission.