Stella and Marigold

written by Annie Barrows
illustrated by Sophie Blackall

Review posted November 7, 2024.
Chronicle Books, 2024. 102 pages.
Review written October 26, 2024, from a library book.
Starred Review

Oh, this book is charming. We've got a new classic beginning chapter book duo on our hands here.

Stella and Marigold are sisters. Stella is seven, and Marigold is four. And they have quirky, wonderful, imaginative adventures together. They loved each other, from the moment Stella told the new baby, "I'm Stella. I'm your sister. I'm going to tell you all the secret things I know. I would never tell them to anyone else, but I'll tell them to you. Forever and ever."

The adventures are quirky. Like a plumber discovering something Marigold put into bathroom drain, and Stella telling a story that helps Marigold deal with being found out. Or going to the zoo and Marigold getting lost in the Meerkat Mound, and Stella cheering her up by telling a story of when the Vice President came to town and her driver got lost, and Marigold gave them directions.

A lot of the stories are about the girls' imaginations getting activated together - as truly happens best with sisters.

And it goes without saying that Sophie Blackall's illustrations bring everything to life and make the book that much more charming. Definitely a treat for reading aloud or for a kid ready to read their own chapter books.