Becoming Vanessa

by Vanessa Brantley-Newton

Overview

Get ready to go back to school with this inclusive, empathetic story that will help kids new to the classroom transform from timid caterpillars into beautiful butterflies who love exactly who they are!

On Vanessa's first day of school, her parents tell her it will be easy to make friends. Vanessa isn't so sure. She wears her fanciest outfit so her new classmates will notice her right away. They notice, but the attention isn't what she'd hoped for. As the day goes on, she feels more self-conscious. Her clothes are too bright, her feather boa has way too many feathers, and even her name is too hard to write.

The next day, she picks out a plain outfit, and tells her mom that her name is too long. She just wants to blend in, with a simple name like the other girls—why couldn't her parents have named her Megan or Bella? But when her mother tells her the meaning behind her name, it gives her the confidence she needs to introduce her classmates to the real Vanessa. Perfect for readers of Alma and How She Got Her Name and The King of Kindergarten.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780525582120
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	06/15/2021
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	53,034
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD540L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Vanessa Brantley-Newton is a self-taught illustrator, doll maker, and crafter who studied fashion illustration at FIT and children's book illustration at the School of Visual Arts in New York. She is the author and illustrator of Grandma's Purse and Just Like Me, and has illustrated numerous children's books, including The King of Kindergarten by Derrick Barnes and Sewing Stories by Barbara Herkert. Vanessa currently makes her nest in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband, daughter, and a very rambunctious cat named Stripes. Learn more about Vanessa and her artwork at VanessaBrantleyNewton.com and on Facebook and Instagram.

Editorial Reviews

06/28/2021

Vanessa, a Black child with round blue spectacles, has first-day-of-school jitters. Attempting to show her classmates that she’s a special “someone they should know,” Vanessa dons a frilly multicolored tutu, yellow boa, and a green beret, paired with polka dot leggings and new red shoes. But as soon as she arrives at school, she runs into difficulties: her more simply dressed schoolmates don’t “get” her outfit, and she finds that her name is “long and hard to write.” Vanessa returns home dismayed, but a parentally bestowed revelation helps change her outlook. Brantley-Newton employs simple, rhythmic prose from the third-person perspective: “This day wasn’t special. Her outfit wasn’t special./ And neither was Vanessa.” Multimedia illustrations construct a cheerfully colored world and classroom populated by children of varying skin tones. A hopeful celebration of individualism and an ode to recognizing one’s inner specialness. Ages 3–6. (June)

Publishers Weekly

2021-05-19
Vanessa’s first day of school doesn’t go as planned, but she learns that what makes her special is not on the outside.

Vanessa is nervous about her first day of school. What if the other kids don’t like her? She and her mom decide she can choose an outfit that will showcase her personality and invite the other children’s interest in her. All decked out in her tutu, feather boa, shiny shoes, and favorite cap, Vanessa feels ready. But at school, her outfit doesn’t have quite the desired effect. And when it’s time to write her name, she finds herself wishing her name were shorter and easier to write. At home, Vanessa doesn’t want to tell her parents about her day. The next morning, she puts on a plain outfit and complains about her long name with two S’s. But when her mother tells her the meaning of her name—it means “metamorphosis,” says her mom—Vanessa realizes that she is special even without her unique accessories, and she learns to relate authentically with her peers. This classic school story offers a full range of emotions and situates this life-loving Black child in affirming family and school settings. The illustrations use variety in texture, color, and composition to effectively draw readers into the energy on the page and to hold interest to the beautiful last endpaper. Vanessa’s classmates are racially diverse.

A welcome addition to every shelf. (Picture book. 3-8)

Kirkus Reviews

"This classic school story offers a full range of emotions and situates this life-loving Black child in affirming family and school settings. A welcome addition to every shelf."—Kirkus

"Bright, childlike mixed-media illustrations with a variety of patterns will appeal to youngsters, and the idea of a name having a meaning will be new to many children."—Booklist

"A hopeful celebration of individualism and an ode to recognizing one’s inner specialness."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher