By Christine McFaul
Lili Macaroni is a new award-winning Canadian picture book by author Nicole Testa and illustrator Annie Boulanger.
“My name is Lili Macaroni, and I am who I am.”
Lili Macaroni is an exuberant young protagonist. She knows exactly who she is and loves it—until she starts kindergarten. At school, her classmates call her Lili Macaroni-and-Cheese. They say her hair is like a pumpkin, her eyes are squinty blueberries, and her laugh sounds like a parrot. Lili becomes more and more self-conscious, until finally, she stops doing all the things she loves. She wants to erase herself and draw a brand-new Lili to take her place. But does she really want to give up her hair like Mom’s, her eyes like Grandma’s, or her magical laugh like Grandpa’s? Lili realizes that no, she doesn’t. Instead, with some helpful advice from her parents, she makes a polka-dot butterfly to wear on her shoulder. This eases her heartache by helping her to envision her sorrows flying away. When Lili explains what the butterfly means to her class, she realizes how empowering it can be to give a voice to your emotions and that she is not the only one at school who might be in need of a polka-dot butterfly.
In Lili, Testa has created an irresistibly engaging character to explore the topics of self-confidence and emotions. The book encourages readers to be themselves, suggests practical solutions for coping with difficult emotions (a great platform for caregivers/educators to open up further discussion on these topics), and even includes a series of ‘Inspired Activities’ to encourage a deeper understanding of the themes in the book (my daughters loved the easy-to-follow template for creating their own polka-dot butterfly!).
Boulanger’s illustrations are totally charming and child friendly. The colours cleverly mirror Lili’s moods—bright, warm, and energetic when she is happy, but shadowed and darker when she is sad—a perfect personification of Lili’s emotional journey throughout the story. And I love how all the illustrations are set against a crisp white background, so they really pop.
With its loveable main character and empowering message, Lili Macaroni is an excellent book. A great choice for anyone looking for resources to support children with managing feelings and emotions or just looking for a great read in general! (Recommended for readers aged 3-5.)
Thank you, Pajama Press, for the complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.