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ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: LOVE IS IN THE LITTLE
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PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE:
CITY: Yorkshire, England
STATE:
COUNTRY: United Kingdom
NATIONALITY: British
LAST VOLUME: SATA 322
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Female.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Children’s author.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Stella J. Jones is a children’s picture book author who lives in Yorkshire, England. In her book titled The Very Grumpy Day, illustrated by Alison Edgson, Jones tells the story of Bear, who wakes up in a very bad mood. Meanwhile, Mouse is ecstatic upon rising to see a glorious morning. Mouse decides to make cupcakes and take one to her friend Bear. Mouse leaves the cupcake on Bear’s table when she finds her friend is not home. Meanwhile, Bear is out stomping around complaining about everything. Bear’s bad mood ends up starting a chain reaction when he stomps down and Mole’s tunnel collapses, causing Mole to throw his shovel in anger. Hedgehog then trips over the shovel and rolls down a hill, causing a spine to lodge in Fox’s bum. Fox throws his groceries up and they land on a family of squirrels, who began to chatter, which, in turn, wakes up the nearby baby owls.
Eventually, the weather worsens and Bear returns home to find the cupcake his friend Mouse left for him. Bear then offers an apology for being so grumpy, which resonates throughout the forest, leading Bear’s other friends to follow with apologies of their own. “This pleasant … story will be a great read-aloud pick for story time,” wrote Sarah Hunter in a review for Booklist. A Kirkus Reviews contributor called the story “a nicely concrete demonstration of what goes around, comes around.”
In The Perfect Present, illustrated by Caroline Pedler, Jones tells the story of bear siblings Bobby and Bella. Both are looking to buy their sibling the perfect Christmas present for their respective rides, a scooter and a tricycle. It turns out, however, that they must trade in their rides for the presents, a flag for Bella’s tricycle and a bell for Bobby’s scooter. When Christmas morning comes, each has the other’s present but no ride to use it on. Instead of being upset, Bobby and Bella are each gratified to have such a thoughtful sibling. A Children’s Bookwatch contributor called The Perfect Present “a gorgeous keepsake acquisition recommended for years to come.” A Publishers Weekly contributor noted: “Pedler’s … ultra-cozy artwork plays up the theme of selfless generosity.”
Glitter features a little rhino named Gloria who uses glitter to foster happiness and good feelings. She applies glitter to her clothes and even her scooter. However, Gloria and all her things are so covered in glitter that she accidentally gets glitter on all the other animas in her neighborhood, upsetting them in the process. It turns out that the glitter is hard to remove, but eventually the other animals succumb to Gloria’s glittery happiness and join in on the fun. “Gloria’s unruffled composure makes for a whimsical counterpoint to the mostly rhyming text,” wrote a Kirkus Reviews contributor.
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Love Is in the Little Things is a story of a small child and a large bear. They enjoy playing together, singing together, and reading bedtime stories together, and they also apologize after an argument. The book is written in the first-person, with the bear apparently taking care of the child and speaking words of love. The sketchy illustrations are by Jane Massey. A reviewer in Kirkus Reviews called the book a “serviceable script” for adults reading to “sleepy listeners.” They found the illustrations somewhat lacking in detail, but they also recommended the story: “The ‘I love you so much’ bookshelf can never be too full.”
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BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, May 1, 2016, Sarah Hunter, review of The Very Grumpy Day, p. 94.
Children’s Bookwatch, February, 2017, review of The Perfect Present.
Kirkus Reviews, February 15, 2017, review of Glitter; July 15, 2018, review of The Only Way is Badger; October 1, 2023, review of Love Is in the Little Things.
Publishers Weekly, September 26, 2016, review of The Perfect Present, p. 88.
ONLINE
Kirkus Reviews Online, https://www.kirkusreviews.com/ (January 9, 2016), review of The Very Grumpy Day.
Stella J Jones lives in Yorkshire. She loves baked beans and chocolate (but not together) and building ramshackle bookcases for her far-too-big collection of picture books. On sunny days, you can find her practising yoga al fresco out on the Yorkshire Dales and on rainy days, tucked up on the sofa with her two guinea pigs, Pinky and Perky.
Jones, Stella J. LOVE IS IN THE LITTLE THINGS Tiger Tales (Children's None) $18.99 11, 7 ISBN: 9781664300415
"Love is in each small sight and sound."
Gentle prose from veteran children's author Jones details the many everyday moments full of love: "through summer, winter, / fall, and spring." Written in the first person, the reassurances of love in all the little things follow a nursery rhyme-like rhythm expertly crafted to comfort little ones. There are verses devoted to smiles, hugs, bubble baths, and bedtime kisses. Spot art and full-page spreads follow a slightly anthropomorphized, giant teddy of a bear and a towheaded, light-skinned human child. The bear appears to be the child's caretaker, and the two watch fireworks, read bedtime stories, dance, tell jokes, have tea parties and baths, and so on. The sketchy visuals err on the side of oversimplified. A scene where the two gaze at each other while the text refers to "quiet, love-filled, gentle smiles" that "mean more than words can say" leaves the characters looking more blank than loving. While nothing in the prose or the nameless characters offers anything particularly grand or memorable, this offering will make a serviceable script for real-life caretakers reading aloud to sleepy listeners; as the book makes abundantly clear--"love is in the little things," after all.
The "I love you so much" bookshelf can never be too full. (Picture book. 1-5)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Jones, Stella J.: LOVE IS IN THE LITTLE THINGS." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Oct. 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A766904266/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=fab3cfce. Accessed 20 Feb. 2024.
Jones, Stella J. THE ONLY WAY IS BADGER Tiger Tales (Children's Fiction) $16.99 9, 1 ISBN: 978-1-68010-098-3
Badger bullies--well, badgers--other animals into accepting his delusions of superiority--but finally realizes the error of his ways.
After the expressive, comical animals on the cover have hinted at the premise, a double-page spread of hand(paw)-painted posters against a bleak, gray, cement-block wall reinforces it, with slogans such as "Be More Badger." Cheerful, colorful, flower-studded grass and animals that somewhat resemble the characters in Jon Klassen's I Want My HatBack accompany the ominous opening words: "Deep in the forest, something wasn't right. Overnight, a wall had appeared. And someone had covered the trees with strange posters." The mystified forest creatures are soon assured by boisterous, egotistical Badger that he is "telling it like it is" with his declaration that badgers are best. He insists that he is helping them by ensuring that they all exhibit badgerlike traits. Deer--previously interrupted by Badger when trying to voice an opinion--becomes the first animal banished over the wall, supposedly because he cannot dig. Badger incites jeering at Deer. With each new test, more animals leave, amid clever wordplay and humorous, absurd art. Finally, Badger is alone in a world that he has painted in his fur's black-and-white. His final poster creates a happy ending unlikely to occur in the real world of politics. But who mentioned politics?
A lighthearted look at the consequences of exclusion and self-absorption. (Picture book. 3-6)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Jones, Stella J.: THE ONLY WAY IS BADGER." Kirkus Reviews, 15 July 2018. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A546323298/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=4b479c22. Accessed 20 Feb. 2024.