Stella & Marigold - (Stella and Marigold) by Annie Barrows

About the Book

Two sisters, Stella and Marigold, do all the regular things, like go to school, but they also share adventures (both real and imagined) and secret sister things.

Book Synopsis

A USA Today and National Indie Bestseller!

From the creatorsof the New York Times-bestselling Ivy + Bean comes a fun and funny new series about two small sisters with very big imaginations.

★ -- "Readers will long for a sibling like Marigold or Stella." -- Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

★ -- "All the heart. None of the pablum. Sisterhood at its finest and freshest." -- Kirkus, Starred Review

Generations of readers have fallen in love with Ivy + Bean, which has sold over 8 million copies and been adapted into a popular Netflix Original Film series. Now, bestselling author Annie Barrows and illustrator Sophie Blackall are back with the first book in a bright new series about a pair of sisters named Stella and Marigold.

Stella, who's seven, is kind, a good storyteller, and ponders big questions like, what do animals think of people? Marigold, at four, tells imaginative stories (her mother calls them "fibs") and likes to wear her favorite Halloween costume year-round. Stella and Marigold do all the regular things--like going to school, playing, getting sick sometimes, and visiting the zoo--but even the most regular things have a secret side.

Sure to delight fans of Ivy and Bean, these adventure tales--animated with full-color illustrations of the sisters' encounters with magical bathrooms, snow monkeys, dream lions, howling wolves, a lost Vice President, and much more--are filled with vibrant characters, creative storytelling, and a whole lot of laughs.

BELOVED CHILDREN'S BOOK CREATORS: Annie Barrows is the author of numerous award-winning and New York Times-bestselling books for children and adults, including The Magic Half, The Best of Iggy Series, and The Truth According to Us. Sophie Blackall is an award-winning illustrator of over 50 books for children, including the 2016 Caldecott Medal winner Finding Winnie and the 2019 Caldecott Medal winner Hello Lighthouse, which she also wrote.

CLASSIC / CONTEMPORARY CHARACTERS: No one creates universal yet unique characters the way Annie and Sophie do. Their distinctive combination of stories and art centered on family connection, empathy, and understanding appeal to adults, who find them lovely, and kids, who find them relatable (and laugh-out-loud funny!).

GREAT FOR NEWLY INDEPENDENT READERS: With lots of adventure, a dynamic relationship that captures an enormous range of emotions, and colorful pictures that bring the text to life, this series is perfect for emerging readers.

STRONG SIBLING RELATIONSHIP: The warm, loving relationship between Stella and Marigold is at the heart of this book. Parents looking for a positive depiction of the ups and downs of sisterhood will love this series.

Perfect for:

• Independent readers age 6-9
• Parents, teachers, and librarians seeking entertaining elementary school chapter books
• Gift-givers looking for an early readers series for kids who enjoy stories full of humor and heart
• Readers who love such bestselling book series as Ivy + Bean, Junie B. Jones, Beezus and Ramona, Dory Fantasmagory, and Princess in Black

Review Quotes

"Beloved creators of the Ivy and Bean series reunite in an astute and joyful new illustrated chapter book series starter that celebrates the everyday moments of deeply bonded young sisters." -- Shelf Awareness

"As always, Barrows offers a spot-on childlike perspective that is both funny and keenly observant. Blackall's whimsical illustrations capture the sisters' individual personalities and their shared adoration. [A] very witty, very tender ode to sisterhood." --School Library Journal

"Stella and Marigold are a force to be reckoned with... The theme here is storytelling, and the book is a little subversive in the best children's literature tradition.

Barrows and Blackall walk this tightrope with skill, cheekiness, and palpable pleasure, their tightly interdependent approach to narrative mirroring the supportive and loving relationship of their two stalwart protagonists." -- The Horn Book Magazine

"Sweeps readers into a world of childhood misadventures and understanding family members...it's a promising start for the Stella Marigold series." -- Booklist, Starred Review

"The creators of Ivy Bean return in this delightful series kickoff... Short chapters by Barrows burst with vibrant and colorful illustrations by Blackall that bring the...girls and their playful imaginations to life. Readers will long for a sibling like Marigold or Stella." -- Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"All the heart. None of the pablum. Sisterhood at its finest and freshest." -- Kirkus, Starred Review

About the Author

Annie Barrows is the bestselling author of books for both children and adults, including the New York Times bestselling Ivy + Beanseries, The Best of Iggyseries, the YA novel Nothing, and the adult bestselling novel The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. She lives in Northern California.

Sophie Blackall is one of the most lauded children's book creators of our day. Her work has twice been awarded the Caldecott Medal, as well as the Ezra Jack Keats Award and the Society of Illustrators Founder's Award. Originally from Australia, Sophie now lives in Brooklyn, New York.