Cover Image: Gemma and the Giant Girl

Gemma and the Giant Girl

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Member Reviews

A sweet book, but it left me a bit unsatisfied. I liked the change in perspectives of the doll being the narrator and the girl being the giant. Sometimes changes can be exciting and fun. Lovely illustrations. But the story left me wanting more. It was a nice story, but not much memorable meat to stick to the soul. A big thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for giving me a copy of this book ARC for an unbiased review.

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'Gemma and The Giant Girl' by Sara O'Leary with illustrations by Marie Lafrance is a picture book about a doll discovering the world is a lot bigger than she thought.

Gemma is a doll that lives in a forgotten doll house with her family until one day a giant girl finds the dollhouse and starts making changes. Gemma has a chance to see the world, but what will her reaction be?

I liked this gentle story about a little person who has to deal with some big changes. The illustrations are delightful.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Penguin Random House Canada, Tundra Books, and NetGalley. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

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The illustrations are beautiful! I was a little confused about what the whole point of the story was, but it was cute.

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Gamma and the Giant Girl follows Gamma and her every day life. She is warned by her parents that giants live nearby. I love the twist and beautiful illustrations.

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My daughter loved this one so much she's asking me to read it with her every day since we first read it. I saw on other reviews that people think the story ended abruptly, but in the eyes of a 7 years old girl, it's perfect.

Many thanks Tundra Books for the complimentary e-copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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Gemma lives in an old fashioned doll house with her mother and father. They have a fine life where things never change. She wonders if she will grow up but is told she will always be their little girl. They tell her stories about a time with giants, but for Gemma, nothing different is ever outside her window.

And then in the next illustration, we see a huge eye looking through the it.

The house moves as though an earthquake is shaking it. A giant girl peers inside the house. Soon afterwards, Gemma and her family’s life changes. Some of these changes are good but others are bad.

They get new clothes and then even more new clothes.

A book arrives and Gemma is shown pictures of the wonders of the world. Then one day, Gemma is removed from her house. The giant girl shows her the world.

As beautiful as it is, Gemma just wants to go home.

Marie Lafrance's illustrations are gorgeous! The beauty of her art contrasts with the disturbing elements of this strange tale. This juxtaposition of whimsy and weird is what I like most! I appreciate finishing a story wondering what the heck happened? This is one of those. I'm pondering how are we like Gemma? How are we like the giant girl?

I wish I had people to discuss this with.

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What a beautiful story. Gemma and the Giant Girl is beautifully written. And amazing illustrations. The story line is very smart. Gemma's adventures take her and the reader to a new understanding about what you have

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This book is a great starting point for discussing the big world with your kids and the value of knowing where you came from.
While reading this book, I was immediately reminded of Giants in the Sky from Into the Woods: “And you think of all the things you've seen, And you wish that you could live in between.”
This also has the tone of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.
Clearly, I find this theme inviting.

Such a sweet story with incredible illustrations.
A benefit of pictures books is discovering new artists. The work of the illustrator, Marie Lafrance, is gorgeous and adds to the wonderful experience of the story.

I definitely recommend this book for the art as well as the story!
Stars 4
Would I Recommend? Yes

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This adorable little picture book is about Gemma, a little girl who leads a quiet ordinary life, until one day things change in a big way. Kids are going to love inferring that Gemma and her family are dolls in a dollhouse (especially when they get a change of clothes) and think about what might be good about living in a dollhouse and what might be bad.

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I thought this picture book was very beautiful when it comes to it's bright vibrant colors and it's shading techniques. The story is very eye opening when looking at the plot and the perspective of the main character. The perspective comes from a young girl who only knows about the outside world from hearing it from her parents. I feel like every child and parent can relate to this story because they had innocence's and unknowingness of the world they lived in when they were youthful. I would recommend this picture book to parents looing for good bed time stories or wanted to education children about the world they live in.

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I'm generally fond of doll books, so I was not surprised to find that I loved this charming picture book with stunningly beautiful illustrations.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy for my review.

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This was a delight! The art was great (as always) and the story was so much fun! I laughed when the twist happened and I immediately bought it for my daughter who will totally get a kick out of it!

Highly recommend!

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An absolutely delightful book that is written in simple language even little children can understand and is just gorgeously illustrated. This book is perfect for young ones who are hesitant to try new things or go new places; it shows them that it can be fun to do new thing, but that it is absolutely okay to want to come back to what we know and love as well - it is the trying that is the lesson.
I loved this little book and highly recommend it to families with littles that are getting ready to try new things - it is just lovely.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sara O'Leary, Marie Lafrance [Illustrator] and Penguin Random House Canada/Tundra Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I loved the illustrations, and the story though I felt like there could have been more. I am not sure this would capture a child the way it is intended.

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This sweet tale is a look at a girl in a doll house. And the Giant is the girl playing with the doll house. The story is a bit slow, but very emotive. It has an almost sad and serene quality that will make it memorable. Those qualities are heightened by the lovely soft illustrations.

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I am not sure how I feel about this book. The illustrations were amazing but the story felt a bit flat for me. This is the story about a little girl who lives with her mother and father. They talk about giants and wonder do they really exist. Turns out the giants are actually human and the little girl and her family are little dolls living in a doll house. The concept was nice but the story was not that great. It was still a good book though and I'd still recommend.

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The book is pretty enough, in soft green and apricot tones, but the slight story of a doll in a dollhouse meeting a human girl doesn’t really go anywhere. Bland writing drags it down further, leaving not much more than the illustrations to carry it. A disappointment that fails to engage or inspire.

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A sweet story with a surprise twist. It's not immediately clear that Gemma is a little doll living in a dollhouse, which leads to an interesting perspective switch. Lovely illustrations. The story ends a bit abruptly, leaving the reader to say, "Wait, is that all?" I read this story to my 8-year-old, who loved the idea of the doll telling the story from her point of view.

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Adorable picture book of a doll house and Gemma, the girl who lives in it.
Gemma lives with her mother and father in a doll house where everything is the same. She longs to grow up and want to see what is outside their little house.
When a child finds the house and starts to play with it, things indeed change for Gemma.

This is a delightful, simple book about a day in the life of a tiny doll.. It is told from the eyes of the doll and I an certain that children will find it delightful.

Thank you Netgalley for the kindle advanced copy of this charming book in exchange for my honest review

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This was a delightful book with a twist I did not see coming. Gorgeous pictures with a beautiful story. I absolutely love that Gemma has red hair!
The colours in the pictures are quaint and elegant, with a calming presence to it.
I will be purchasing a copy for my collection to share with my niece who funnily enough, is named Gemma!

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