Kirkus ★ Starred Review
“Self-confidence is hard to come by when classmates make fun of the things that make Lili Macaroni herself….Boulanger’s changing perspectives and use of shadows to stand in for other kids’ teasing set the mood, Lili’s exuberant brightness changing to more somber tones with her sadness. Lili and her family are white; there is one black classmate. From Québec, a wonderfully empowering message to be yourself, with a strategy to ease heartache added for good measure.”
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School Library Journal
“The resolution isn’t in the other children being kinder or abandoning their teasing. Although that is implied, the resolution that matters comes from within Lili as she draws upon her own inherent strength and resilience to overcome life’s challenges. The illustrations are colorful and engaging, with clean lines and a contemporary feeling. VERDICT A comforting tale of self-acceptance following the tradition of Kevin Henkes’s Chrysanthemum and Patty Lovell’s Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon.”
—Alyssa Annico, Youngstown State University, OH
Read the full review in the September 2019 issue of School Library Journal
Foreword Reviews
“Sunny illustrations and Lili’s infectious smile stand out as she spreads positivity with honest conversations, creative solutions, and a homemade paper butterfly perched on her shoulder….Through [Lili Macaroni], children will learn the importance of spreading kindness.”
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ILA Literacy Daily, “Compassion, Empathy, and Understanding”
“Although it might not be a part of the Common Core State Standards or easy to measure, teaching our students compassion, empathy, and understanding is an important part of the curriculum. Following are some recently published books that are good choices for reading aloud to foster discussion as well as for independent reading….Lili is fortunate to have an understanding teacher in Mrs. Tamara, who hugs her when she shares her feelings and her polka dotted butterfly. Her classmates feel guilty about what they’ve done, and they come back to class after the weekend with their own butterflies.”
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Montreal Gazette
“For those of you with children who are about to start school, or return to class, here are some picture books — both new publications and recent noteworthy titles, generally aimed at ages four to seven — that might ease the transition. If nothing else, sharing them with your youngsters may prompt some of your own recollections and give you both something to talk about.
Lili Macaroni, by Nicole Testa and illustrated by Annie Boulanger (Pajama Press) — both Quebecers — tells the story of a cheerful, rambunctious redhead who discovers, when she starts school, that not everyone is kind….she starts to pull away from the rest of the kids and grows unhappy at school — until her father suggests she create one of the polka-dot butterflies she likes to draw. It lifts her spirits, and when she explains to her teacher and classmates why she’s wearing it on her shoulder, the results make school a much happier place for Lili.”
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CM Magazine
“Nicole Testa writes Lili Macaroni’s name in a unique orange, cursive font throughout the text. Even when Lili feels like erasing herself and reimagines her life with a new image, she still knows deep down that she must stay true to who she is—Lili Macaroni. Illustrator Annie Boulanger uses fun, playful colours to match Lili’s personality with the exception of a gloomy, grey colour palette on the pages when Lili’s heart is aching.
Lili Macaroni sends the message to children that they should be always stay true to who they are, no matter what others say or think, and that there are always solutions to help mend a broken heart. Lili Macaroni would still be a suitable addition to home collections and kindergarten classroom libraries due to the storyline. In particular, it would be a useful book to teach resilience and empathy….Recommended.”
—Andrea Boyd is an early years’ teacher in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and a graduate student at the University of Manitoba.
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Youth Services Book Review
“Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4…
What did you like about the book? Little red-haired Lili is happy to have hair just like her Mom’s ‘I am the way I am. I’m Lili Macaroni.’ She makes up songs and reads her favorite books out loud. She draws polka-dotted butterflies and counts stars at night. When she begins school, she is happy until other kids make fun of her name calling her Macaroni-and-cheese and then make fun of her wild red hair and her freckles….With her Dad’s help she draws a beautiful polka-dotted butterfly, cuts it out and pins it to her shoulder for the next day at school. She explains to the teacher why she has done this and then to the rest of the class. The following day many of the children come in with their own butterflies pinned to their shoulders. Lili proves herself to be strong, courageous and resilient. The artwork is wonderful in expressing the emotions of Lili and the students.”
—Katrina Yurenka, Manager, Youth Services Book Review
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Youth Services Book Review
“What did you like about the book? This book definitely fits the social-emotional category of picture books….Readers would likely be able to use some of [Lili’s] strategies in their own lives. The end of the book also lists some related activities readers could try, including making their own butterfly, building positive self-esteem while creating a self-portrait, and playing ‘Follow the (Kind) Leader’ with friends….
To whom would you recommend this book? Great for teachers or families to read with children as an introduction to discuss self-esteem, bullying, and heartache. Read-alike for Chrysanthemum (by Kevin Henkes). Best for ages 4-7-ish.”
—Sarah Bickel, Greenlodge Elementary School, Dedham Massachusetts
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CanLit for LittleCanadians
“Teasing can be playful but it can also be bullying and very young children don’t always know when one has become the other. In the mean while, there are little ones like Lili who must endure humiliating comments about their physical appearance and then wish they were anyone other than themselves. Fortunately, author Nicole Testa surrounds Lili with some very astute adults who recognize the little girl’s need to feel good about being herself. Without hoovering up her bad feelings or demanding the school take action, they allow Lili to make her coping strategy work for her. It’s positive and it’s empowering.
Quebec illustrator Annie Boulanger, who illustrated Nicole Testa’s French-language Lili Macaroni: Je suis comme je suis! (Dominique et compagnie, 2017), gives Lili all the attributes the text imbues her with. She’s a little wild, a lot of fun, and a whole lot of smart. She’s colourful and inquisitive and enthusiastic. But when she’s sad, the light is gone from her eyes and her clothing and the page.
For young children going off to school for the first time, Lili Macaroni will help prepare them to recognize teasing that is insensitive and harmful and help them handle it for themselves as well as for others.”
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Sal’s Fiction Addiction
“I have been reading this new book almost every day since it arrived in the mail. There’s a great reason for that. My granddaughters are here to visit this month, and they love listening to it before bed each night….The colorful illustrations help children know and appreciate Lili’s personality; they only change with the sadness she feels. We talked about the changing perspectives and how seeing something from above was an interesting way to watch what the children were doing. Many small details held our attention and provided for discussion.”
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“Everybody’s a critic. Lucy, an elementary-age white girl who appears to live alone with her cat, is an artist, painting happily in her garden until a reporter from the local paper comes by….Fernandes’ illustrations borrow both palette and a sense of vegetative lushness from Gauguin; Lucy’s creations are almost wholly abstract. She is also the only human in the story—all the carping critics are anthropomorphic animals, lending a sense of fun and softening the unkindness of their remarks. The text shares the illustrations’ whimsy, delighting in words as much as Lucy delights in her art. A valuable lesson in pursuing your own artistic star.”
“Amidst the numerous counting books available, van Hout offers a stand-out with great child (and adult) appeal. While the book only goes from 1 to 10 (and then, on the closing end pages, back again), she makes the experience of counting both joyful and imitative through the use of animal personalities and anatomies….Bold eyes engage the reader, and a final spread takes this a step beyond most counting books: practical advice for parents or caregivers explains the usefulness of counting books for early readers and includes several fun and educational activities—one of which, of course, is counting with this book again and again.”
“[D]ino fans will delight in this onomatopoeic romp. Extra information about other dinosaurs found throughout the story is appended at the end. Fill your storytime with prehistoric sound.”