Publishers Weekly
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)
Kirkus Reviews
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)
