Lissy’s Diary

by Ellen DeLange, Ilaria Zanellato (Illustrator)

A heartwarming story about keeping memories alive and passing on traditions. For little writers ages 5 years and up. Grandma is reading from a diary. Lissy listens intently to the exciting stories. But . . . who are these stories actually about?

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Rosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a cute book, but I am not sure of the extent to which it will be “re-readable”.

It’s Lissy’s Grandma’s birthday and Lissy is spending this special day with her. As the gift package she has brought her grandma contains a diary, Lissy wonders what a diary is and how it can be used. Grandma takes out some of her old diaries and shares a few memorable incidents of her younger years with her granddaughter. Quite impressed and motivated, Lissy decides to keep a diary of her own.

Some of Lissy’s grandma’s adventures are interesting. Beyond that, there’s not much to this story except for how sweet it is. The close relationship between Lissy and her grandma is very touching.
The language used is quite simple. I liked how the font changes from a basic sans serif in the story to mild cursive in the diary entries. The change in style creates a nice visual contrast.

The illustrations are quite nice and reminiscent of old Russian storybooks. These are the best part of the book.

The book would work well if you want your child to spend some time writing in their diary. Same applies to teachers who want to introduce the concept of personal journals to their children.

3.75 stars.

My thanks to Clavis Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of “Lissy's Diary”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.





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[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I am IN LOVE with this book. I have been keeping a journal since I was in seventh grade...and what I would give to have a diary or journal from my grandmas or my mom! Lissy is so excited for grandma's birthday. They take grandma flowers and a new diary. Lissy asks grandma what a diary is and grandma pulls out a diary written when she was about Lissy's age. Lissy is amazed when she realizes that these wonderful stories happened to her grandma! She is eager to start keeping a diary too.

I love the "handwritten" cursive entries, the beautiful illustrations and the sweet relationship between grandparent and grandchild.

[Chloe Ritchie]

'Lissy's Diary'

Lissy's Diary is a beautiful story about a girl who reads her Grandmother's diary, inspiring her to get her own.

The illustrations are so pretty, and this story is a great way to introduce the concept of diaries to children. Particularly in year groups two to four, when introducing the topic of diary entries. This is down to the way the Grandma addresses Lissy's misconceptions, and further explains what a diary is.

Lovely story about a Grandmother and her grandchild. I'd recommend it for ages 0-7.

Rated: 3.5 to 4 stars

Thank you to netgallery for allowing me to read such a sweet book

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

This was super cute. Lissy goes to see her Grandma to give her birthday presents. One of the presents is a diary, but Lissy doesn't know what that is. Grandma begins reading "stories" to her from her old diary and Lissy falls in love with the plucky little girl from the stories. When she realizes the girl in the stories is her grandma, she decides she needs a diary too so she can record the things from her life.

I loved this sweet story about family and tradition. I would definitely purchase this title for a child in my life.

[Theediscerning · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young Lissy takes a diary as a present with her when visiting her gran for her birthday afternoon – even though she's not sure what a diary even is. Said gran can inform her, mind, which is a cue for an awkwardly-read cursive bringing the events and emotions of the past back to life. But they're not exactly the most exciting instances, and this didn't convince me this was the best version of this story possible. It's pleasant enough – but deserving of multiple reads? I doubt that it would feature prominently in anyone's daily journal.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple, sweet story about a girl who learns about diaries from her grandmother. This could be useful for a lesson about keeping a diary, which I don't foresee doing in the library.

Story: 3
Illustrations: 3
Read-aloud: 3

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay story but beautiful illustration style.

[LS Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sweet story about a young girl and her grandma.

[Georgetowner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this sweet book, written to encourage children to keep a diary. The story also encourages meaningful relationships between generations.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations, but the story is kind of meh.

[Pages Of Pastries · Rating 3 out of 5]

An adorable story about and grandmother and grandaughter bonding through diary entries and passing down traditions through generations. Although the writing was a bit off, the gist is clear and is still a heartwarming read.