Just Add Glitter written by Angela Di Terlizzi and illustrated by Samantha Cotterill is a celebration in honor of feeling good! The little girl in this book does not like boredom, rainy days or feeling depressed. The opening illustration shows her sadly looking out the window on a rainy day, all dark and quiet and lonesome, at a package just delivered to her doorstep.
It doesn’t take her long to haul the box inside and find colorful tubes of glitter. She gets busy creatively improving her situation by decorating everything in sight including her cat, her crown, the walls and her doll house with hot pink, emerald green and sky-blue sparkles!
Shouts of delight accompany her artistic endeavor. “A little here, a little there. Glitter, glitter anywhere!” The illustrations, marked by gorgeous tactile double pages, demand to be touched. The picture of the little girl’s glistening dream as she scatters sparkles from a hot air balloon is spectacular. Samantha Cotterill’s 3D designs are skillful and effective.
What seems to be a good idea eventually turns into a not so good idea as the sight of everything dear to the little girl starts to disappear in a storm of soupy, suffocating sparkles. Finally, she comes to the conclusion, standing in front of her bedroom mirror that: “The glitter made it hard to see, what sparkles most…is you and me.”
Just Add Glitter written by Angela Di Terlizzi and illustrated by Samantha Cotterill is a picture book of delights and wisdom for readers 4-8 years of age. Children will be fascinated with the closing picture of yet another interesting package on the little girl’s doorstep (Beach Lane, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, 2018).
Activity questions for Just Add Glitter.
Look carefully at the busy and beautiful picture of the young girl’s glistening dream and find the following items: a hot air balloon, a rollercoaster, a unicorn, a staircase, a huge jar of sparkles, white stones, a hat on a cat, two large windows and a small doll house. What could the two figures on top of the dollhouse be? Where is the little girl’s dream scene taking place? Let your imagination fly and make up a title for this picture.
At the close of this story the little girl looks again out of her window and she sees another package on her porch. Take a look. What is on the outside of this package? What could this mean? What do you think could be inside the package? Make up a little story about what you think happens when the little girl opens this package. Have fun.
Have you ever worked with glittery sparkles to add fun to a picture or a day, as the little girl does in this book? What could you add to a day to make it better? Think about how adding a song or a dance or kind words could bring fun to a day and improve it. Draw a picture of you and your better day.
