Billy and Belle

by Sarah Garland

A newborn baby and the exciting confusion of Pet Day at school combine to make a very special day for Billy and Belle

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

320 pages, Hardcover

First published April 30, 1992

About the author

There is more than one author with this name.

Sarah Garland has written and illustrated over forty picture books and adventure stories for young children. She is best known for her warm and witty portrayals of family relationships, and for her outstanding work for preschool picture books.

She lives in the beautiful village of Chedworth in the Cotswolds with
her husband, artist David Garland.

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice story about a family about to have their third child. The illustrations are good, this books artwork is so much better than Sarah Garland's earlier work. Some pages are in comic strip format so fun to read alone too. I think this would be a very good choice for children expecting a sibling. As always with this author a happy read about a loving family.

[Chloe Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the family dynamic in this book as it shows a different family which may represent different families in the class. I liked the use of speech bubbles. There is a mixture of framed and unframmed pictures and different sizes. This shows the moments the author wants use to see closely or the wider picture. Children could discuss their pets and siblings. Simple sentences are used.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice offering from England, the mom in this family of four is due to have her baby. Little sister gets to go along to school with her older brother just this once, creating havoc, of course, on bring your pet day. But all ends well, (I was impressed with the remarkably calm teacher). The wonderful part of this book is how the family is interracial and yet there is no mention of it - I get requests for interracial family books where the subject of race is not mentioned - as one Mom put it - can we just be pictured as a family and not some "subject"?. I usually did out my John Updike children's poem book when pressed, but now I can offer Sarah Garland books. I really love how the book opens and closes with sleeping. Very calming. A lovely family book.