PictureFace Lizzy

by Josh Gad, Marta Kissi (illustrator)

From beloved actor Josh Gad—star of the animated hit movie FROZEN and the live-action movie BEAUTY AND THE BEAST—comes a hilarious picture book about a girl who won't rest until she gets the latest cool toy.Eve knows she has all she needs. But what does she really WANT? Only the coolest doll on the PictureFace Lizzy! If only she can convince her parents to get her one, she knows she'll love it forever AND have the hottest toy in town. But what happens when you get what you want and that rush wears off? This hilarious, energetic, and relatable story is all about the contagion of consumerism... and how imagination and love are the real gifts.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

Published September 17, 2024

Reviews

[Trio · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great message to send kids! Josh Gad has PictureFace Lizzy perfectly planned from the get-go... Young Eve realizes she's got everything she could want or need. Counting her family, friends, pets, toys, all the food she can eat - but she doesn't have the latest, greatest, new TOY that all her friends have!

Eve is left out of all the social media surrounding this new toy, though her friends do try to include her. So she asks and asks and asks, till finally she's gifted with this awesome thing!

Well, soon enough, the rose has losts its luster, and Eve realizes playing with her friends, interacting with her family, and just enjoying LIFE is way better than the new toy. Super true!

I'd be an awful reviewer if I didn't pay homage to Marta Kissi's AMAZING illustrations. The way they capture the characters' expressions is incredible. The faces are so animated, I could tell what they were thinking before I'd even read a word.

PictureFace Lizzy is a perfect book for kids of all ages, and everyone will enjoy the pictures as well as this very important message.

[Elaine Fultz, Teacher Librarian, MLS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gist is perfect, but it's too wordy. As we are FINALLY heading toward limits on phones, watches, and social media, books like this will (read: should) appear on the scene. This should be one option, but the marvelous Blackout (Rocco) and Hello Hello (Cordell) are earlier publications that can send the same message succinctly. Another plus here is the artwork. Character expressions are top tier.

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty wordy for a picture book and the moral was not very poignant at the end.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central

Eve has a comfortable home with her parents and two brothers, and plenty of STUFF, but she doesn't have a PictureFace Lizzy. This doll is a sort of starter cell phone that has proprietary filters, games, and videos that all of Eve's friends have access to because they often have more than one of the devices. Since Eve doesn't have one, she doesn't know the cool dances the girls at her dance class know, and can't share pictures with her friends. When there are sleepovers, the girls often are so absorbed with the devices that Eve feels left out. After she asks frequently, her parents finally give her a STEM version, and she's very happy. She plays with the filters, posts pictures, and learns all of the songs and dances she's been missing. Once the thrill is gone, however, she starts to notice that many of her friends spend a LOT of time with the device, and it doesn't make her happy. She finds that spending less time with Lizzy and more time interacting with her friends makes a lot more sense.

Eve's plight will be one that many elementary students will feel deeply, whether they are longing for a real cell phone of their own, or for a similar device. It used to be Yo Yos or Cabbage Patch Dolls that were the hot gifts of the season; now it's mainly electronics. The idea that children are missing out on the things their friends have access to is a very valid fear, and while PictureFace Lizzy is not a real item, the emotions about the fear of missing out are quite real!

Kissi's illustrations are perfect for older elementary school students, and I've seen her work in Kelsey's Pippa Morgan's Diary, Romito's Fort Builders, and Watson's The Trouble at Table Five. While the trim size of this is similar to a picture book, there's a lot of text, and fourth and fifth graders would be a good audience for this. I'm unsure whether the celebrity author will be known to students and be an enticement to read this story.

It's hard to teach children that they don't need all of the same toys and gadgets that their friends might have, and the message about being so immersed in a phone like device is a good one for young readers to think about. Smith's You're Missing It addresses this, and there's a middle grade Babymouse title, Miss Communication, by the Holms that also covers this important topic. Another great book that shows the perils of overconsuming and the joy of not engaging in these behavior is Whipple and Wong's Enough Is.

[Zibby Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a hilarious and energetic picture book about a girl who won’t rest until she gets the latest cool toy: PictureFace Lizzy! Eve has an incredible imagination, but when all her friends start getting the new Pictureface Lizzie doll—a fully functioning social media doll that can interact like a phone screen—Eve wants one, too. But her parents say no. She creates a PowerPoint presentation and convinces her mom and dad to let her get one.

The book is about technology and coveting in general—whether it's an electronic, a toy, or something about your lifestyle. Ultimately, we all wrestle with those feelings. But the book's journey is that Eve gets a Pictureface Lizzie, and like her friends, she loses herself in it. It becomes her life. Eventually, she starts to miss the little things, and so as she puts her picture face Lizzie down. She shows her friends that they can use the doll to have fun, but they can also have balance. It’s a great message, and we can all use it. Pictureface Lizzie is fun and relatable!

To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://zibbymedia.com/blogs/transcri...

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is too long. Massively too long. However, this is more of a second grader book than a storytime book, so the length is understandable. In this our main character, Tony really wants a Pictureface Lizzy, which is a type of smart device. All her friends have one and she really really wants them too. She feels constantly left out. Her parents finally get her a Pictureface Lizzy, and while she does have fun with it, she also learns and gains perspective that you can do more than play with an electronic toy, and that sometimes real life adventures are better than the ones lived online. I like the message in this book. Overall, I like the book. However, it does not sound like Josh Gad. The last line of the book, I’d say Josh wrote that but in general if someone were to blind, read this to me and say select from four creators, I never would’ve picked it to be Josh Gad.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't give away spoilers in my reviews. Thank you to YABC, Josh Gad and Marti Kissi for a copy of PictureFace Lizzy.
This is a very sweet story about a young girl who pines for a PictureFace Lizzy - a computerized doll all her friends have. PictureFace Lizzy has it all - a website, different variations of dolls, the ability to socialize via the app, etc.
Eve has a happy life - full of loving family and friends as well as many pets. She desperately wants a PictureFace Lizzy so she can be like her friends and participate in Lizzy games with them.
Her parents gift Eve a STEM PictureFace Lizzy and Eve has so much fun - at first.
She then realizes life has so much more to experience than just a doll.
Sweetly illustrated and written in a way to appeal to boys and girls.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

The artwork is hilarious and full of emotion, and the story has surprisingly great world-building. I have low expectations for celebrity-written picture books, but this was actually creative, in addition to being relatable and having good messages. This story really represents how all-pervasive technology becomes in shaping children's play and social norms, and my only critique is that the resolution felt a bit rushed. This is wordier than the average picture book, but the length is appropriate for the older age it's aimed for, and I would recommend this for elementary-aged kids.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute story that shows younger readers, through the character Eve, that the newest and "greatest" thing isn't always the best. The PictureFace Lizzy is equivalent to a smart/apple watch, iPhone, portable gaming system, etc. that seems like the BEST thing, and will be the BEST thing forever! However, parents hope that, like Eve, our kids come to the realization that stepping away from screens, enjoying the here and now, and taking a breather from everything that constant screens/monitoring entails, is a relief and needed from time to time.

[Manda Marigold · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. In this book, readers follow a young girl named Eve. Eve lives a comfortable life filled with love from her family and all the items she wants—well, not every item. Eve has recently become fixated on getting a smart device called PictureFace Lizzy. Eventually, Eve receives PictureFace Lizzy, but she soon discovers that the gadget is not all it's cracked up to be. Making memories with her family becomes important to Eve again. This book is an engaging read with fantastic illustrations.

[Aaliyah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the illustrations for this book and the overall idea of the book is perfect, especially since screens are taking over! BUT......MAN, THIS BOOK WAS EXTREMELY WORDY, especially for its targeted demographic! Goodness gracious!

Next time, let's make it a bit shorter--kids attention spans are super short (and adults too!)

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how Gad makes his point about social media and the latest fads under this humorous take on wanting something everyone else has. All of Eve's friends have a PictureFace Lizzy and she wants one too. Though she has so much, nothing is as important as being part of the group with these dolls. It is hard to be left out and that point is made as well.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A hedgehog named Snoop Dogg! 😆 A girl laments not having a picture face Lizzy, this book's version of a smartphone. This book was a brutal reminder of how smartphones can steal real socialization and imagination away from childhood. kids don't belong on social media. I felt this book didn't go far enough.

[Ryal McMurry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Josh Gad has written a story with a great message. In a world obsessed with commercialism, his character realizes that having the latest technology isn’t what’s really important.

The illustrations by Marta Kissi are also adorable and make this a super-fun read.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story but wordy as heck. Definitely not for little ones but more advanced readers who can sit and pay attention. It's sort of like a transition picture book that will prepare kids for early chapter books.

[Lysa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[GlutenFreePixels · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art is cute, but WOW, this is a wordy book for the targeted age demographic.

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good lesson, and adorable illustrations.

[Tracy Mabry]

Great message.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was quite text heavy compared to normal picture books. It has a nice message, though.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a cute story reminding children that their imagination is stronger than any electronic device.

[denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook narrated by Kristen Bell

[Annabelle Kocher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I HAVE IT SIGNED 🖊 🤩 🎶

[Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now I want a PictureFace Lizzie! ;)

[Josh Newhouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute idea takes forever to get going and is too wordy.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

buy