Silly Lilly & the Four Seasons

“[A] little marvel of distilled storytelling…To know Lilly is to want to know what she has to say.” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)

 

Lilly is a spunky little girl who delights in the unexpected pleasures of each season, peering inside shells in the summer and tasting different kinds of apples in the fall. In this charming and subtle book by one of France’s premier children’s book authors, Lilly learns more about the outdoors, and introduces the youngest readers to the colors, words, and shapes that arise in nature. Silly Lilly’s intimate monologues deftly capture a child’s sense of wonder, in five whimsical episodes that cycle through the calendar from Spring back to Spring again.

Lilly is a spunky little girl who delights in the pleasures of each season, peering inside shells in the summer and tasting different kinds of apples in the fall. A charming, subtle book by one of France's premier children's book authors, Lilly learns about the outdoors and introduces the youngest readers to the colors, words, shapes that arise in nature.

Lilly is a spunky little girl who delights in the unexpected pleasures of each season.

Agnès Rosenstiehl was born in Paris, France in 1941 into a family of artists. She studied French literature at the Sorbonne and Composition at the Conservatoire National and went on from there to become one of France's most esteemed children's book authors. Among her many works are Mon Larousse, a dictionary for youngest readers; Le Livre de la Langue Francaise (The Book of the French Language), published by Gallimard; and Paris-Pékin par le Transsibérien (Paris-Pekin by the Transiberian), which she illustrated and co-wrote with her husband, a mathematician, after an inspirational family trip. Agnès happens to be an expert on the poems of France's illustrious poet, Arthur Rimbaud, and her work has been published in several professional journals.

Agnès is most well-known for her young heroine Mimi Cracra, who has appeared in over 100 books and pamphlets and has inspired a French television series. Rosenstiehl's books have been translated into eight languages, including Japanese and Chinese. Agnès conceived Mimi Cracras English language début, Silly Lilly and the Four Seasons, especially for the TOON Books collection. Silly Lilly in What Will I Be Today? is that title's eagerly-awaited follow-up.

Between Agnès and her husband, they have seven children and fifteen grandchildren. They live in a country house with a garden, hidden in the center of Paris.