Nola's Scribbles Save the Day

by Cristina Lalli

Overview

Nola loves her scribbles. They go with her wherever she goes. But she can’t seem to share her scribbles with others—no one seems to understand the imaginative world she’s created for herself. Frustrated and uninspired, Nola draws a blank. A big, boring blank.

But when Nola falls deep into a creative slump, she discovers she’s not alone. If she can find the courage to share her scribbled ideas again, she may just inspire others to think outside the box and give their ideas a try too.

With playful illustrations, this imaginative tale shows readers of all ages the power in persevering to create and embrace unique expression.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781624149429
Publisher:	Page Street Publishing
Publication date:	06/23/2020
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	669,154
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Cristina Lalli has always believed that books have a special power. She received a Masters of Children’s Book Illustration from Cambridge School of Art and has worked in Chicago, New York, and London as a designer, illustrator, and educator. Now settled in Portland, Oregon, she is an active member of SCBWI. She received a Portfolio Honor Award at SCBWI LA 2018, and was the recipient of the SCBWI 2018 Don Freeman Grant for a pre-published work. This is her debut picture book.

Editorial Reviews

2020-03-01
Nola loves to draw, and she “scribbles” on a sketch pad everywhere she goes.

Her town—illustrated as a pencil-and-ink sketch of large rectangular buildings—gains colorful crayon squiggles and doodles as Nola walks past, immersed in her sketch pad. Unfortunately, no one else seems to appreciate Nola’s scribbles, and she feels the need to hide them. Nola also tries to “fix” her scribbles and create art that the people around her understand, contorting her scribbles “in ways they didn’t like to bend and twist.” The harder Nola tries, the more exhausted she gets. Ultimately, Nola literally draws a blank, a “big, boring blank,” and falls right inside it—where, much to her surprise, Nola finds that she’s not alone. Other creators are stuck on the same blank page. Can Nola summon enough scribbles to inspire everyone out of their respective creators’ blocks? Lalli’s picture-book debut highlights the delights of doodling and sketching as well as the lack of inspiration that sometimes follows. Colorful sketches on otherwise gray illustrations mark the difference between imagination and lack thereof. Nola has brown skin and puffy brown hair, and her fellow creators on the blank page are children of different races and abilities.

A lighthearted tale that validates following your own artistic vision. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews