Review Detail

WILLOW THE ARMADILLO is a cute picture book about reaching for your dreams and what it means to be a hero. Willow loves picture books, and she spends a lot of time reading. She dreams of being the star of a picture book, and she goes to a special school to help her train to be a picture book hero. She learns the skills she needs, but when she goes to tryouts, it seems they are always looking for someone else. Then, one day at the library, the lights go out, and Willow sees her chance to become a real-life hero.

What I loved: This picture book is full of fun and colorful illustrations throughout. The story is really cute about reaching for your dreams and working to achieve them. The important messages are about what a hero looks like (not always what you would expect), and that it's more important to be be a hero in real life than just pretend in a book. There are some subtle values in these messages.

The amount of text is just right for toddlers through elementary school-aged readers, and it's clear and easy to read. Willow has a lot of personality, and it was fun to look through the illustrations. The way in which Willow becomes a hero is maybe small but it means a lot, and shows young readers that they can make a difference in a small way.

Final verdict: An overall charming story about heroism and reaching for the stars, WILLOW THE ARMADILLO is a delightful picture book for young readers who may themselves have big dreams that seem impossible.