When Stella was Very, Very Small

By Marie-Louise Gay

In this book in the Stella and Sam series, Marie-Louise Gay has gone back in time to answer the questions often asked by the children who read and love the books.

Where does Stella get her wild ideas? How big is Stella's imagination? What did Stella look like when she was small? How did Stella come to be the big sister to Sam that we all know and love?

Although Marie-Louise Gay didn't know what she would find when she started to explore Stella's childhood, she soon realized that when Stella was very small, she saw the world in her own unique way -- with wonder, curiosity and the sense that everything is possible. And when Sam came along, what could be more natural than to pass this sense of wonder on to him?

A story of a lovely, tiny Stella, whose world is full of small adventures and slivers of magic.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Groundwood Books
• Release date: May 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9781773065359

Marie-Louise Gay

MARIE-LOUISE GAY is an internationally acclaimed children's book creator whose work has been translated into more than 20 languages. She has won many awards including two Governor General’s Literary Awards, the Vicky Metcalf Award for Children’s Literature, the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Picture Book Award. She has also been nominated for the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award and the Hans Christian Andersen Award. She lives in Montreal, Quebec.

Book preview

Reviews for When Stella was Very, Very Small

[melodyreads · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love Stella, and how she sees the world

[mbabst-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book brings you into the mind of a young girl who struggles to see the world. Her constant complaining about being small allows the reader to see a different perspective of the world. She is tired of being the smallest person in her family but attempts to make the best of the situation. Her helplessness of over come when her mother has a new baby boy named Sam. Instead of being taught and helped by others, she is able to teach Sam everything that she has learned. I would read this book to a pre-k- Kindergarten class because I feel as though they will be able to relate to being the smallest or youngest person in their family. They will also be able to relate to having an actually new born baby in their family and learning how being the smallest teaches you lessons in the long run.

[dukefan86 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What a charming story! How cute to see Stella's perspective of her world as a baby, and how it changes when she gets a little bigger and has a baby brother to show the ropes.

[ag314 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Gay, Marie-LouiseWhen Stella Was Very, Very Small2011. 32pp. $7.95 pbk. Groundwood Books. 978-1-5549-8103-8. Grades K-3 Stella used to be small, and there were certain things she could and could not do when she was younger. But this story explains how Stella can do new and different things now that she is older, like reading to her little brother Sam. Bright, cheery illustrations fill this positive tale about growing up. Small children can see themselves in little Stella and then in her little brother Sam, while older children can sympathize with the older-sibling role Stella takes when she is a few years older. Children who are worried or anxious about the challenges of growing older will find much to like in this upbeat tale, as things older children learn are framed as feasible and able to be accomplished. Recommended for families with siblings, or perhaps with siblings on the way.

[jyasinchuk_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A sort of prequel about the young heroine when she was well, smaller. Accompanied by Gay's whimsical art featuring amazing panoramic 'overhead views' we learn about Stella's amazing feats in the Olympic-sized swimming pool (a.k.a. her tub), fight a man-eating tiger (i.e. the neighbour's cat), and survive a terrible drought struggling through her endless sandbox. Recommended for Preschool to Grade 1 levels.