Becoming Vanessa by Brantley-Newton, Vanessa

Get ready to go back to school with this inclusive, empathetic story that will help kids new to the classroom transform from timid caterpillars into beautiful butterflies who love exactly who they are!

On Vanessa's first day of school, her parents tell her it will be easy to make friends. Vanessa isn't so sure. She wears her fanciest outfit so her new classmates will notice her right away. They notice, but the attention isn't what she'd hoped for. As the day goes on, she feels more self-conscious. Her clothes are too bright, her feather boa has way too many feathers, and even her name is too hard to write.

The next day, she picks out a plain outfit, and tells her mom that her name is too long. She just wants to blend in, with a simple name like the other girls--why couldn't her parents have named her Megan or Bella? But when her mother tells her the meaning behind her name, it gives her the confidence she needs to introduce her classmates to the real Vanessa. Perfect for readers of Alma and How She Got Her Name and The King of Kindergarten.


Author: Vanessa Brantley-Newton
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Published: 06/15/2021
Pages: 40
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 11.10h x 9.30w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9780525582120
Audience: Ages 4-8

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 2.6
Point Value: 0.5
Interest Level: Lower Grade
Quiz #/Name: 521691 / Becoming Vanessa


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 06/01/2021
Booklist 06/01/2021 pg. 88
Publishers Weekly 06/28/2021

About the Author
Vanessa Brantley-Newton is a self-taught illustrator, doll maker, and crafter who studied fashion illustration at FIT and children's book illustration at the School of Visual Arts in New York. She is the author and illustrator of Grandma's Purse and Just Like Me, and has illustrated numerous children's books, including The King of Kindergarten by Derrick Barnes and Sewing Stories by Barbara Herkert. Vanessa currently makes her nest in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband, daughter, and a very rambunctious cat named Stripes. Learn more about Vanessa and her artwork at VanessaBrantleyNewton.com and on Facebook and Instagram.