4.5 Stars
The name of our little heroine itself rhymes, and so does the entire story. The author chose the AA rhyme scheme and worked it very well to create a nice plot for kids. Ella is a busy girl, playing and having fun. But as it gets dark, she starts to fear the monsters in the shadows of her room.
The book shows how she finds the courage to fight the monsters and realize the importance of nighttime. Her books, teddy bears, and music are her strength.
The illustrations are super cute. Ella’s pom-pom hairstyle makes me want to tug them a little. I love the little monsters, especially when they grab a suitcase and walk away. So cute!
Thank you, NetGalley and Notable Kids Publishing, for the ARC.
#EllaMcBellaInTheDark #NetGalley

~ Thanks to NetGalley and Notable Kids Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review ~

There comes a point where I'm pretty sure my being an adult without children is going to interfere with the way I respond to a book, and that's the cse with Ella McBella. I didn't particularly like the illustrations, and the rhyming kept changing pace throughout the book which put me off a fair bit. I will say that it has some good advice for children on how to manage being afraid of the dark, although parents might want to forget to mention the singing at night part if they value their sleep. Over all, this might be useful to parents who have a child struggling with a fear of the dark, it's just not something I can really see myself buying or recommending to my friends who actually have kids.


Summary
Recommended age range: 4-6
Pros: a good take on being afraid of the dark
Cons: not a fan of the illustrations; the rhyming doesn't flow consistently throughout the book

As a child I was unreasonably scared of the dark. I would have loved this book if it existed back then. Even the art style made me nostalgic while reading. Great book for kids

Special thanks to NetGalley for providing a digital copy in exchange for an honest review

This book is such a cute read! Being afraid of the dark is something almost every child in my family has gone through. This book is a good way to introduce different coping mechanisms and good ways to take their minds off of it! I highly recommend this adorable read!

I thought this was a good attempt at some important subjects for children to read about, the illustrations were on the whole, good.

I found it a little fragmented and a little confusing on a couple of occasions.

The main thing I liked about the book was the rhyming nature of the book. I liked the language used and I think this was executed fairly well.

Many thanks to the author and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Ella McBella is a busy girl. She has lots of energy and loves to keep busy and have fun throughout her day, which is shared through the story. Once the day begins to die down and the evening rolls in, Ella makes her way home and goes through her evening motions and routine before bed. From here, the fearless, energetic girl we have been reading about becomes scared. As she lays in her bed she discovers she cannot sleep, there’s too much going on around her, shadows moving and scratching sounds, and it’s giving her a scare. As the story progresses further Ella learns that these things are being cooked up via her imagination and her exaggerations are what are causing her alarm and panic. As she bravely soon discovers, darkness is needed so the animals of the night can come out to play. Then the story ends with Ella using her new understanding to reassure herself that she’s okay, and she’s safe to drift off to sleep.

I liked this story. It’s one that would be beneficial to all young children, particularly if they struggle with similar bedtime anxieties as Ella does in the story, and help the children to find the courage and understanding to know they are safe and fine and can go to sleep.

The illustrations in the book are cute, and you can see Ella is a very busy girl during the day with all her fun play.

I think this would make a lovely bedtime story for children to enjoy, cuddles up to their parents/carer before drifting off to sleep.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this e-book.

I am extremely impressed with the author's ability to maintain rhymes throughout the entire book!! Wow that was a feat and so fun to read. The rhymes went perfectly with the story as did the fun illustrations. I love the idea that a child can find a way to overcome her own fears by facing them. There was a lovely empowering message here for everyone.

I am looking forward to sharing this story with my own 7 year old who sometimes needs a little reassurance as we turn out the lights for bedtime.

For a Child Afraid to Go to Sleep in the Dark

This book would be a good nighttime read for young children who are afraid of the dark when going to sleep. Ella, our heroine, is first shown enjoying her day playing at a park, but as twilight starts to fall, she becomes more and more fearful of the darkness to come. Dinner is fine, of course, and she enjoys it when her mother reads her a bedtime story. But once the lights are off and Mom is gone, she imagines a variety of terrors. Do the shadows cast on the wall reflect monsters in her room? What exactly are the scary sounds outside? She gathers her teddy bears in support and reads stories of bold characters. But ultimately, she decides to turn on the light. The monsters are not quite what she thought, and the sounds outside her bedroom are nocturnal animals enjoying their night. I liked how this book encouraged the little girl to think on her own. She fought her own fears with little guidance except from books; that supports good reading habits (and shows one way books are beneficial). The book ends by stating that Ella feels better about the dark over time. The night shown in the story wasn't an instant fix. I appreciate that as too often children's books make it seem too easy to get past a fear or problem. If you have a child who imagines monsters in the dark and fears nighttime sounds, this book could help him or her or at least open discussion about it.

Hand-drawn illustrations help make this a great book to aide those afraid of the dark at night. Teachers and counselors should have copies for children to read and then discuss.

This is a cute story for kids about being afraid of the dark and trying to be brave. The illustrations and rhyming was great.

This is a great book to help kids work through their fear of the dark! The illustrations in this book were fantastic, and so was the rhyming!

I received an electronic ARC from Notable Kids Publishing through NetGalley.
Charming story to share at bedtime to calm fears of monsters and the dark. Ella loves being at the park and feels bold in the daytime. However, once the sun starts to set, she races home to get away from the dark. Readers then see her evening routine and see her tucked in bed with her teddy bears. She tries various techniques to calm herself and ignore the monsters in the room and strange noises outside. With support from her teddy bears, she braves getting out of bed to turn on the light. The monsters become a lot less scary in the light. She even gets brave enough to look out her window and see the animals that are really causing the scary noises
I loved the illustrations; in particular, the character expressions. The monsters changing and looking back at the end as they lug their suitcases out of the house captures so many emotions. The text rhythm flows well and will be engaging for young readers. A terrific read aloud for families dealing with nighttime fears.

This book caught my eye because I have a little niece named Ella. This was a very sweet story about a little girl who learns to be brave even though she is afraid of the dark. I like the sing-songy rhyming of it, and it is a very sweet story. I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of a honest review .

This is a story about Ella who is scared of dark but is ready to explore at any cost .

This is a brilliant book for alleviating fears at bedtime,

This is a lovely story about a little girl who is is scared of the dark.

I love books which rhyme and this one does that really well. This made for a lovely story with my 7 year old who could connect to the story being a little scared of the dark herself.

The pictures really brought the story to life and it has given a new understanding to my daughter of what those noises and shapes in the dark really are.

A lovely read for little ones and for us more grown up ones too.

Thanks NetGalley for the advanced copy! My toddler and I enjoyed this book together several times. Toddlerhood brings lots of feelings and new fears. This book addressed being scared of the dark in a fun and easy to understand way for a toddler. It gave us a chance to explore shadows in her room and talk about how there isn't a reason to be afraid. Thanks for a great book to tackle a new fear and sleep better. Can't wait to add a hard copy to our collection!

Ella McBella lives in a city and goes out to play after school until it's time for supper. Then she gets ready for bed and stories. But it gets dark outside and there are noises. And shadows. But then...
On pastel backgrounds with vivid colors and simple illustrations, this book will be a favorite for a long time. Maybe get one for the local library, too!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Notable Kids Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!
And I see that it is printed by Worzalla Books in my home state!

This was a sweet children's book with some lovely illustrations. The rhyming generally worked well and was fluid to read. I personally prefer to avoid American spelling with my daughter as I don't want to confuse her while she is learning to read so that's worth knowing.
I think this book would be great if you had a little one that was scared of the dark. Ella shows that most things that seem scary in the night aren't scary at all. My daughter isn't scared of monsters so I would worry that reading this might then put spooky thoughts in her head!
A

I loved how this book offers comfort to children about darkness and nighttime. I think the perspectives shown in this book about the night being the "daytime" of some animals is a nice way to calm the nerves of children who are afraid at night and the sounds they heard at night.

Ella has such a great day at home and at school. When the evening begins and she is in bed, she gets scared!! This book shows what you can do if you are afraid of the dark. This would be a great classroom read or a bedtime story, This book would be wonderful for a child that has a hard time being alone in the dark.