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Summary
Summary
Jenny is a gentle bundle of contradictions. She wants to be left alone, but she cries when her mom goes away. She wants to wear her old T-shirt instead of her new dress, and that's that. If you catch her smiling, she'll go back to grumbling. Jenny wants things her way, but she's not always sure what her way is. It might seem like she's being difficult, but she can't help it -- it's just how she feels.
This delightful small-format picture book is a portrait of a character who, despite her grumbling and frustrations, just wants to be loved. Against simple backgrounds and understated digital and chalk pastel illustrations, Jenny's boldly expressive face is the focal point. The book conveys a quiet balance of humor and strife, perfectly portraying a prickly kid who feels anxious, stubborn and unheard ... even though she's not exactly sure what she has to say.
Author Notes
Sibylle Delacroix graduated from the École de Recherché Graphique in Brussels and worked as a graphic designer for several agencies while juggling her illustration career. She now illustrates full time and lives in the Midi-Pyrénées in France.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Jenny has a sturdy toddler's body, a big round head topped by orange pigtails that look like kitten's ears, and a major case of the sulks: "Jenny doesn't say good morning because, really, what's so good about it?" No reason is given for this state of affairs, and none is needed. Jenny simply makes it crystal clear that she has zero interest in the polka-dot dress her mother offers her, that she's being dragged to a fair, and that she would rather stand on her head than take a nap like a baby. Jenny isn't quite in the same league as the ultimate kid nihilist, William Steig's Spinky; her grumpy façade cracks, and while she wants Mommy to go away, she doesn't want her to go too far. French author-artist Delacroix wisely assures readers that Jenny just needs some time and space: "tomorrow, when she's bigger, it will get better." But until Jenny regains her equilibrium, she's an irresistible bundle of unhappiness, and Delacroix makes her the grumpy star of every one of her minimally detailed, roughly sketched drawings. Ages 3-7. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Jenny doesn't say good morning..."; "Jenny doesn't want her new polka-dotted dress." Jenny is, frankly, a brat. But she's also a perfectly believable toddler, especially when she lets on that her prickliness is something of an act ("Wait...Is that a smile, Jenny?"). Her telling facial expressions dominate the square, modestly sized book. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Jenny faces a familiar problem for toddlers (and older people): she doesn't know what she wants and is feeling out of sorts. Jenny doesn't want to wear her new dress, she doesn't want to go to the fair, and she doesn't want ice cream-although she still devours it. An unbleached backdrop reflects Jenny's foul mood and makes her pale figure the irresistible focal point. Delacroix's uncluttered charcoal sketches with their limited palette have a sweet, comforting quality, even as they effectively express the child's scowling ill temper and failed attempts to exert control over her domain. The economical text is accessible for its toddler audience while retaining humorous nuances. As the author concludes, "Jenny doesn't know what she wants today. But tomorrow, when she's bigger, it will get better." VERDICT Both children and adults will find this picture book relatable and reassuring.-Rachel Anne Mencke, St. Matthew's Parish School, Pacific Palisades, CA © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A girl is in low spirits all day."Jenny doesn't say good morning because, really, what's so good about it?" opens the story, plunging readers into Jenny's mood. She doesn't want her new polka-dot dress, she wants an old T-shirt; she grumbles and drags her feet on the way to the fair. Jenny doesn't want compliments for her artwork, and she doesn't want "you" to notice a temporary smile that sneaks out during her genuine melancholy. Sometimes she knows what she wants and sometimes not: "Jenny says, Leave me alone!' But she cries when Mommy goes away." Delacroix uses the left side of each spread for textdark blue lettering, shaded in with the same blue, on white backgroundand the right side for images. Each illustration features Jenny, with her huge head, expressive face, and small, blocky, vulnerable feet. Background coloring for the illustrations is a warm, yellowish taupenot quite an unfriendly color but certainly not a comforting one. There's no neat solution here, just welcome acknowledgement of irritation, unsettled emotions and bad days. Few readers won't recognize the emotional core: "Jenny is feeling out of sorts, but she doesn't want to talk about it. She just wants to be loved." With its small trim size, this empathetic offering might be just the thing for little ones to take off by themselves when they're feeling prickly. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
Jenny doesn't say good morning because, really, what's so good about it? Jenny doesn't want her new polka-dotted dress. She wants to wear her old T-shirt, and that's that. Daddy takes her to the fair, but Jenny grumbles and drags her feet. Excerpted from Prickly Jenny by Sibylle Delacroix All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
