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Description
It’s Alice’s birthday! A beautiful spring afternoon in Paris — what could be better? Little does she know that her friend has arranged some surprises!
It’s Alice’s birthday! But her friend Gertrude seems to have forgotten. No matter, Alice goes out and enjoys her day just the same. A beautiful spring afternoon in Paris — what could be better? Little does she know that her dear friend has a few surprises up her sleeve.
While Alice spends the day walking around Paris — riding a carousel in the park and watching a puppet show — Gertrude turns her attention to the kitchen. She is determined to make a lavish dinner with all of Alice’s favorite things and write a poem to match the occasion.
But the lure of the perfect poetic line proves to be too distracting, and just as Alice’s day takes an exciting and unexpected turn, Gertrude’s big dinner falls all to pieces. The poem turns out beautifully, of course, but the house is a bit of a mess. It’s a good thing Alice doesn’t mind cleaning up. And that she has such a good brownie recipe for their guests.
Inspired by the lives of artist Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, Monica Kulling’s warm and whimsical narration is perfectly balanced by Qin Leng’s bright and energetic illustrations. This is a sweetly joyful story of love, friendship and creative inspiration.
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7
With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age:
- 4 to 8
- Grade:
- k to 3
- Reading age:
- 4 to 8
Awards
- Commended, Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices List
- Commended, CCBC Best Books for Children and Teens
Editorial Reviews
[P]rovides an enchanting glimpse into the Parisian life of the two women and their fondness for each other and life in general.
— CanLit for Little Canadians Blog
This rendition of the domestic arrangements of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas is charming and funny, due in no small part to Leng’s light colours, loose lines and gently comic sense of character.
— Toronto Star
The cartoonish, fine-lined ink illustrations . . . capture the sunny energy of a Paris springtime.
— Booklist
[G]ive[s] kids a sense of what respect looks and feels like without ever resorting to the word itself.
— Quill & Quire
A rose is a rose, and loving friendship is loving friendship, as this sweet celebration makes clear.
— Kirkus Reviews
Leng’s airy ink drawings bring just the right chic Parisian energy to this odd-couple story.
— Publishers Weekly
[T]he most palatable parts of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas’s lives provide rich inspiration for this charming story of friendship.
— Globe and Mail
[A] birthday surprise upturned and righted is always cause for delight.
— School Library Journal
Author Monica Kulling and illustrator Qin Leng invite the imagination into Gertrude and Alice’s world through a tender fictionalized day in the couple’s real life. … The sweetness and sincerity of their love rises above the language and radiates from the story itself.
— Brain Pickings
[A] sweetly joyful story of love, friendship and creative inspiration.
— The Canadian Children's Book Centre
All . . . can enjoy Qin Leng's air ink and digital-color illustrations of April in Paris and the affectionately funny portrait of a legendary friendship.
— The Horn Book
