Bella's Rules

by Elissa Haden Guest, Abigail Halpin (Illustrator)

Overview

In the vein of Eloise and Marley, here's an adorable tale of two well-intentioned rule breakers who show each other how friends deserve to be treated

Bella knows her family's rules by heart, but she much prefers her own: Candy for breakfast, no hair-washing, and no such thing as bedtime. And then . . . Bella the wild child gets a new pet! At first, Bella and Puppy are the very best of friends. But when it turns out that Puppy doesn't like the family rules either (including the rule not to gnaw off Bella's teddy bear's arm), well...it's time for a little puppy training. And Bella might just learn a thing or two herself!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101639016
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	05/16/2013
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	38 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Elissa Haden Guest is the award-winning author of the Iris and Walter series. She teaches writing and lives with her family in San Francisco, California.
Abigail Halpin loves drawing, knitting, strong coffee, and all things vintage. She lives in Wells, Maine.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Praise for Bella's Rules:
"Here is an impish heroine who will win over children, and once a new puppy teaches her the value of doing what she's told (within reason), parents will be disarmed as well." -New York Times Book Review

"The harmonious pairing of Guest's simple but lively text with Halpin's whimsical illustrations charms. A winner." -Kirkus Reviews

"Bubbly brunette Bella is an appropriately lively figure, but it's plump-tummied Puppy, with his floppy brown ears and cute brown eyespot, who will captivate kids (they'll especially enjoy the illustration of Puppy breaking the 'No peeing indoors' rule)." —BCCB review
 

Editorial Reviews

…drawn with affection and humor…Here is an impish heroine who will win over children, and…parents will be disarmed as well.

The New York Times Book Review - Pamela Paul

Praise for Bella's Rules:
"Here is an impish heroine who will win over children, and once a new puppy teaches her the value of doing what she's told (within reason), parents will be disarmed as well." -New York Times Book Review

"The harmonious pairing of Guest's simple but lively text with Halpin's whimsical illustrations charms. A winner." -Kirkus Reviews

"Bubbly brunette Bella is an appropriately lively figure, but it's plump-tummied Puppy, with his floppy brown ears and cute brown eyespot, who will captivate kids (they'll especially enjoy the illustration of Puppy breaking the 'No peeing indoors' rule)." —BCCB review
 

From the Publisher

K-Gr 2—Bella knows her family's rules but she doesn't like to follow them. She makes up her own, therefore misbehaving a lot. When a babysitter comes for the evening, she takes advantage of him and truly endangers herself and ruins property. When her parents come home, they have a conversation with her about her behavior and insist that she write a letter of apology to the sitter. When Grandma arrives a few days later with a surprise for Bella, a puppy, the child is overjoyed, and they soon become best friends. But soon Puppy starts behaving like the youngster that he is. He jumps on Bella and eats her cupcake. He leaves muddy footprints on her bedspread. He chews up her favorite teddy bear. Bella unfriends him. At this point, the family steps in and together they teach the dog how to behave. And in the process, Bella learns about the importance of following rules. The cheerful illustrations are done in colored pencils and watercolors and clearly convey the exuberant pup's actions. However, children might have trouble picking up on the lesson as it seems as though her grandmother is rewarding Bella's inappropriate behavior. The moment of clarity is too far away.—Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MI

School Library Journal

As one might guess from the title, boisterous Bella's rules are in serious conflict with the family rules. Bella's rules: candy for breakfast, no washing your hair, ever, except with mud shampoo, and…there is no such thing as bedtime! Family rules include boring things such as no yelling indoors, no painting on paintings and no scaling the bookcase. Bella's rules seem irrefutable, particularly to her kind but wimpy baby sitter Sammy, whom she terrifies with her wild behavior and who resorts to begging her to behave and go to bed. The indefatigable Bella gets her own way with everything, and her long-suffering parents are at their wits' end. Until Granny pays a visit and brings with her a game-changer--an adorable puppy that breaks as many rules as his young charge and puts Bella in the unaccustomed role of having to introduce order into the chaos. Puppy's behavior is even more wild, rude and risky than Bella's. Ruining Bella's favorite teddy is the last straw, and Bella sulks for a bit, until she starts to understand that by patiently teaching the puppy good behavior, obedience can actually be more rewarding than rebellion. The harmonious pairing of Guest's simple but lively text with Halpin's whimsical illustrations charms. Dialogue is represented in free-floating type that dances with nicely paced vignettes and page turns. A winner. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews