Crafty Chloe

by Kelly DiPucchio, Heather Ross (Illustrator)

Overview

Fancy Nancy meets Martha Stewart in Crafty Chloe, the adorable DIY star of a new picture book series!

When another girl has already purchased the most perfect birthday gift for Chloe’s friend Emma, Chloe decides she’ll make a present—something you can’t buy in a store. But crafting isn’t easy, and it’s beginning to look like she won’t have a great idea in time. Fortunately, with a good doodle session and a whole lot of glitter to inspire her, Chloe figures out just the thing to save the day—and with a little help from her trusty glue gun, she just might save a friendship, too!

This inventive and irresistible picture book will have young readers itching to reach for their googly eyes.

Check out CraftyChloe.com to learn how to make the cool crafts featured in the book!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442421233
Publisher:	Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	02/21/2012
Series:	Crafty Chloe
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 11.60(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD570L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kelly DiPucchio is the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Grace for President and numerous other books for kids, including Super Manny Stands Up!; Crafty Chloe, Zombie in Love, Gaston, and Antoinette. She lives with her husband and three children in Michigan. You can find out more about Kelly and her books at KellyDiPucchio.com.

Heather Ross is an illustrator and fabric designer whose crafty creations have found commercial success and a massive online following. She has illustrated the Crafty Chloe books Crafty Chloe and Dress-Up Mess-Up and is also the author of the craft book Weekend Sewing. She grew up in the Vermont countryside and has a tremendous appreciation for nature, which continues to influence her work now that she lives with her husband in New York City. Visit her at HeatherRoss.squarespace.com.

Editorial Reviews

Chloe can stitch and glue like nobody’s business. She makes fetching hats out of coffee filters (Mom, who clearly need her caffeine, is not amused). She designs dapper clothes for her dog, who promptly assumes a swinger’s swagger. And she embellishes her baby brother with googly eyes because, as DiPucchio (Zombie in Love) explains in a gently precocious tone, they make “anything... less boring.” While it’s smart to tap into the Etsy zeitgeist, this story of an ingenious heroine relies on some inelegant ideas. Why does Chloe have to be a loser at everything but crafting? Why is her nemesis a standard-issue fashionista who thinks crafting is déclassé (and is, of course, won over)? Luckily, Ross, a crafter herself, saves the premise with her sprightly cartooning and evident sympathies for her heroine. The book is at its best capturing Chloe in full DIY mode, totally focused on creating something fabulous from the supplies scattered in front of her. Anyone wanting to teach a child the rewards of being “in the zone” should just open the book to one of those pages. Ages 4–8. Agent: Writers House. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

* “Crafty Chloe is the creative cousin of Clementine. Ginger haired, with an adorable taste in free-to-be-me outfits and a heart of gold, this young heroine finds original and kind-hearted solutions to big problems…. DiPucchio is to be commended for providing a simple and strong story with a loving solution that will surprise readers. Strong pacing and fanciful illustrations full of happy yellow highlights capture a delightfully determined and winning child. Ross gives Chloe a sweet individuality that makes her memorable and likable. A corresponding website provides crafting ideas and instructions. Required reading for any child going to a birthday party.”

—Kirkus Reviews, November 15, 2011, *STAR

“This vignette features a young girl dealing with feelings of inadequacy, peer pressure, and birthday-gift one-upmanship…. The girls’ facial expressions are priceless…. A pleasant girl-centric story ideal for those beginning to make the leap from shorter picture books.”

—Booklist, December 15, 2011

“DiPucchio’s writing has an amusingly wry conversational tone…. Ross’s snappy illustrations, with high-spirited pencil lines touched with digital color, depict wide-eyed, redheaded Chloe at home in a detailed crafty girl’s paradise where tubes of glitter, sewing patterns, and scraps of paper litter the floors, and Chloe’s dog, Bert, is an expressive and supportive assistant.”

—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, January 2012

“This book loudly shouts that everyone has talents and encourages children to develop those things they do well…. In Chloe, the author has created a gracious spirit who gives of herself. Illustrations support the story’s playful mood.”

—Library Media Connection, Recommended

From the Publisher

Crafty Chloe is the creative cousin of Clementine. Ginger haired, with an adorable taste in free-to-be-me outfits and a heart of gold, this young heroine finds original and kind-hearted solutions to big problems. When snooty London flaunts that SHE has already purchased the perfect gift for Chloe's best friend Emma, Chloe retorts that she is going to make a present instead. But handmade items are hard to make, and they require planning and skills. Will Chloe finish her special gift in time? Chloe feigns having the "chicken pops" to avoid the hard work of creating a masterpiece. But when she makes up her mind to go to the party, the hard work begins. After thinking and doodling for a very long time, Chloe passionately works away the day on her personal gift. An accident that happens on the way to party poses a challenge to Chloe that she gracefully rises to meet. DiPucchio is to be commended for providing a simple and strong story with a loving solution that will surprise readers. Strong pacing and fanciful illustrations full of happy yellow highlights capture a delightfully determined and winning child. Ross gives Chloe a sweet individuality that makes her memorable and likable. A corresponding website provides crafting ideas and instructions. Required reading for any child going to a birthday party. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews