The Invitation
Published on 18. May 2023
Book
Hardback
40 pages
978-1-77306-661-5 (ISBN)
Description
Stacey May Fowles' debut picture book is a whimsical, warmhearted story of how a super-special surprise can lead to anxiety - or invite imagination.
One beautiful fall day, Fern opens her mailbox and finds an envelope. After much worrying about what it could possibly contain, her friend Fawn encourages her to open it. Inside, she finds an invitation to a super-special surprise at the museum - but Fern doesn't like surprises!
Luckily, Fawn offers to come with her to the party. What could possibly happen, he asks. Along the way, Fern voices her worries: What if they can't make it in time? What if they don't know anyone there?
Fawn playfully follows his friend's way of thinking, while gently suggesting twists to her story and a fun new cast of characters - the chipmunk who could show them a shortcut, the grumpy bear who could clear their path, the brave dentist who might treat the bear's toothache - until at last they arrive, and Fern is able to enjoy the wonderful surprise happening around her.
Marie Lafrance's delightfully dreamy illustrations bring the imagined world of Fern and Fawn to life in this super-special story about catastrophic thinking.
Key Text Features
illustrations
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
One beautiful fall day, Fern opens her mailbox and finds an envelope. After much worrying about what it could possibly contain, her friend Fawn encourages her to open it. Inside, she finds an invitation to a super-special surprise at the museum - but Fern doesn't like surprises!
Luckily, Fawn offers to come with her to the party. What could possibly happen, he asks. Along the way, Fern voices her worries: What if they can't make it in time? What if they don't know anyone there?
Fawn playfully follows his friend's way of thinking, while gently suggesting twists to her story and a fun new cast of characters - the chipmunk who could show them a shortcut, the grumpy bear who could clear their path, the brave dentist who might treat the bear's toothache - until at last they arrive, and Fern is able to enjoy the wonderful surprise happening around her.
Marie Lafrance's delightfully dreamy illustrations bring the imagined world of Fern and Fawn to life in this super-special story about catastrophic thinking.
Key Text Features
illustrations
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
Reviews / Votes
The coloured pencil illustrations are a whimsical delight. STARRED REVIEW * Foreword * Visually appealing empowerment in the face of anxiety. * Kirkus Reviews * The delicate, startling visual world ... vaults Fowles's children's debut, a tale about real-world anxiety, into the realm of fantasy. * Publishers Weekly * Anxiety is real, and Fowles takes it on in a loving way, giving children a safe way to ask all the questions they need in this delectable and ultimately -calming outing. * School Library Journal * This picture book presents a beautifully illustrated, warm-hearted tale about facing one's fears with the help of friends. * School Library Connection * The detailed full-colour drawing style with pencil marks and shading, along with the exotic characters, make The Invitation a feast for the eyes. * CM: Canadian Review of Materials * Though anxieties are not easily chased away, The Invitation asks kids to trust in their abilities to become comfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity. * Montreal Review of Books * Fern and her friends are charmingly illustrated in this wonderful story about trust and friendship. * Calgary Herald * Stacey May Fowles and Marie Lafrance have created a beautifully captivating picture book with The Invitation. The illustrations bring levity and depth to Fern's problems. * Canadian Children's Book News *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Ontario
Canada
Target group
Children/juvenile
Interest Age: From 3 years
Product notice
With printed dust jacket
Illustrations
Full-colour illustrations throughout
Dimensions
Height: 259 mm
Width: 231 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
454 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-77306-661-5 (9781773066615)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
STACEY MAY FOWLES is a multiple award-winning journalist, essayist and author of four books, including the national bestseller, Baseball Life Advice: Loving the Game that Saved Me. She is the co-editor, with Jen Sookfong Lee, of the anthology Good Mom on Paper: Writers on Creativity and Motherhood. A former columnist at the Globe and Mail, Stacey currently writes the Book Therapy column for Open Book Ontario. She lives in Toronto, Ontario, with her husband and daughter.
MARIE LAFRANCE has illustrated for magazines, newspapers, billboards and boxes of jelly powder, but now she prefers to use her warm and engaging artwork to bring picture books to life. Her books include The Lady with the Books by Kathy Stinson, Gemma and the Giant Girl by Sara O'Leary and The Brass Charm by Monique Polak. Her art has been included in the New York Society of Illustrators Original Art Exhibition, and she has won the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award. Marie lives in Montreal, Quebec.
MARIE LAFRANCE has illustrated for magazines, newspapers, billboards and boxes of jelly powder, but now she prefers to use her warm and engaging artwork to bring picture books to life. Her books include The Lady with the Books by Kathy Stinson, Gemma and the Giant Girl by Sara O'Leary and The Brass Charm by Monique Polak. Her art has been included in the New York Society of Illustrators Original Art Exhibition, and she has won the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award. Marie lives in Montreal, Quebec.