This Is Sadie

March 9, 2015
As in previous collaborations like When You Were Small and Where You Came From, O’Leary and Morstad put forth a playful, imagination-first portrait of childhood, introducing a girl named Sadie who is equally at home in the expanses of her mind as she is in the outside world. Striking an irreverent tone from the first page (“This is Sadie. No, not that. That’s a box. Sadie is inside the box”), O’Leary follows her raven-haired heroine as she sets sail in the aforementioned cardboard box, spends the day with friends (“Some of them live on her street, and some live in the pages of books”), and inserts herself into the stories she reads. “She has been a boy raised by wolves,” writes O’Leary as Morstad shows Sadie and a small pack of wolves howling on the jungle floor. Throughout, the warm, understated writing and rich, mixed-media illustrations emphasize that Sadie can be anything or anyone she wants—a snail, the Mad Hatter, a fairy-tale hero—and that, by extension, every reader wields the very same power. Ages 3–7. Author's agent: Jackie Kaiser, Westwood Creative Artists. Illustrator’s agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Literary Management.

Starred review from April 1, 2015

PreS-Gr 2-Sadie is a young girl with a flourishing imagination that can transform a boring old box into an enormous boat on the high seas. She has loads of friends, some real and some she's met in the pages of a good book. In fact, it is Sadie's relationship with her books that form the basis for this charming tale. Every new scene demonstrates to young readers how books can be the gateway to fantastical worlds. There are clever nods to such children's classics as Alice in Wonderland and The Jungle Book, and Sadie's enthusiasm and joy in making the everyday extraordinary is a worthy message. This award-winning duo beautifully convey the magic that is to be found in reading or listening to a story. The appealing text is accompanied by lush drawings rendered in gouache, ink, and Photoshop that lend it a fanciful feel in the best way possible. With its leisurely pace and verdant illustrations, this book is a delight for bedtime as well as an excellent storytime choice paired with Crockett Johnson's Harold and the Purple Crayon and Peter Bently's King Jack and the Dragon (Dial, 2011). VERDICT A wonderful purchase for all collections.-Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, St. Joseph, MI

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2016
With a chatty, gently humorous narrative, this evocative portrait of a busy, imaginative girl follows Sadie throughout the day, showing her pastimes and her friends, both real and imaginary. Spacious, delicately colored illustrations in gouache, watercolor, and pencil crayon offer a look at Sadie's world, which is full of stories she finds in books and--perhaps most importantly--stories she invents herself.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)