Little Ellen

by Ellen DeGeneres, Eleanor Michalka (Illustrator)

Overview

What makes you unique? Find out with Little Ellen, the creative and lovable star of Ellen DeGeneres' debut picture book, based on her new animated series!
 
Hi! Little Ellen here—You know I love making people laugh, but did you also know that I am full of questions? SO many questions! And the one I am wondering most is, what makes me, well, me?
 
Before she was an award-winning actor and talk show host, Ellen DeGeneres was a little girl in New Orleans. Get to know Little Ellen and the wonderful world she sees in this book of friendship and groovy moves, perfect for kids with big imaginations and even bigger hearts! 
 
This joyful picture book promotes empathy and social-emotional learning, with an inclusive voice that encourages kids to be themselves.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593378601
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	05/03/2022
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.60(w) x 10.70(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Ellen DeGeneres is a host, comedian, actress, entertainment pioneer, and bestselling author. For the past eighteen years, she’s been known for her hit syndicated daytime talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which has earned sixty-four Emmy Awards. Little Ellen, her debut children’s book, is based on an animated series of the same name that explores her childhood in New Orleans. Ellen is a global advocate for being true to who you are, no matter your age. You can follow her on YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook for more.

Eleanor Michalka is an artist based in Los Angeles. She is currently an art director for Netflix Animation. Her past work has been primarily on animated TV series such as The Midnight Gospel, Amphibia, Gravity Falls, Steven Universe, and Little Ellen. She is a native Texan and a lover of nature. You can follow her work on Instagram.

Editorial Reviews

04/18/2022

Featuring the characters and New Orleans setting of the HBO Max Cartoonito series of the same name, this book from DeGeneres and Michalka is more credo than story. As seven-year-old Little Ellen walks around her community sporting hair clips and a rainbow-festooned tee, she thinks about “what truly makes me me?” She realizes that it’s not what others may know as her signatures: her “cool dance moves” or the quirky thoughts that “zoom inside my mind.” Rather, it’s the way she loves and cares for others—“Who I am is about/ all of those I put first!” Though one vignette does find Ellen offering a sparkly hat to cheer a tearful friend, most of the fanciful digital images aren’t acts of kindness, but rather Ellen just hanging out with her gang (consisting of her Gramsy, children of varying skin tones, and a host of creatures), making for a slim, community-focused story. Ages 4–8. (May)

Publishers Weekly

2022-04-19
Another celebrity makes her children’s-book debut.

Comedian DeGeneres, host of the popular, long-running, multi-Emmy-award–winning eponymous daytime talk show known for its star’s hip dance moves, audience giveaways, and A-list guests, delivers a picture book based on the animated series of the same name about her childhood in New Orleans. The author attempts to convey to children the importance of being oneself, describing what she likes about herself—for instance, her big heart—and, ostensibly, encouraging readers to follow suit: e.g., putting others’ needs ahead of their own, being generous and kind—all while no one notices. Certainly, these are great messages to convey to readers, but, as narrated here in clunky verse, the unclear text doesn’t quite hit its mark and comes across as rather egocentric; only occasionally do readers get a sense that Little Ellen is boosting them more than herself. The illustrations fare better than the narrative. Colorful, lively, though generic, the digital art features light-skinned, blond, wide-eyed 7-year-old Ellen frolicking with her light-skinned, gray-haired Gramsy and racially diverse friends against some picturesque French Quarter and Louisiana parkland landscapes. Some text is set in colored type, adding to the visual appeal. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

The famous name will garner attention, but stick with worthier books about self-improvement and self-affirmation. (Autobiographical picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews