Book Review: Freckleface Strawberry, by Julianne Moore

Freckleface Strawberry
By Julianne Moore
Illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Copyright 2007
ISBN: 978-1-59990-107-7
Ages 0-5, 40 pages, $16.95
Hardcover
Available October 2007

Freckledface Strawberry is about a seven-year old girl just like everybody else, except for one thing: she has red hair. Not only that. She has FRECKLES!

Where did they come from? Nobody in her family has freckles. How she got them is a mystery! No matter where she goes, people always have something to say about her freckles—that she’s dotted, that she’s dirty, that she looks like a giraffe, but even worse… that she’s a FRECKLEFACE STRAWBERRY!

Freckleface Strawberry must do something to get rid of her freckles. And fast. She tries various funny ways to get rid of them, before realizing that maybe, just maybe, freckles are not that bad after all. What’s even more… maybe freckles are what make her HER.

This is a picture book that will be thoroughly enjoyed by all, especially by children who have freckles. The story maintains the right pace to keep the momentum going and the colorful illustrations have a wacky quality that suits well the tone and add to the humor. Julianne Moore has created a cute, fun story based on her own childhood experience . I look forward to reading more books from her.

Review by Mayra Calvani

*This review was previously published in Armchair Interviews