Lucy

Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite:

In Lucy by Heiki Vilep, Lucy is quite an active little girl. She just celebrated her fourth birthday and she was feeling quite grown up, even though her older brother kept trying to set things right, like pointing out that cars don't fly and there's no such thing as a witch. Lucy does have her imagination, though. When visiting the ice cream parlor with her brother and her father - having an ice cream party her father says - Lucy imagines a kingdom of ice cream complete with an Ice Cream King, and Ice Cream Queen, an Ice Cream Prince and an Ice Cream Princess and an ice cream parlor where everything is edible and can become part of the ice cream itself. But, when Lucy tries to prove that she can perform magic like a real witch, her plan goes a little awry - all she manages to do is splash everyone and everything at the dinner table. Even Grandpa's smart suit and Granny's pretty floral dress are soaked, along with the pies that Granny had baked. Lucy thinks she is in trouble, until she hears Grandpa chuckling in the washroom.

Growing up is hard to do. There is so much to learn, so much to imagine, so much to create. Heiki Vilep has written a charming story about a little girl who wants to know everything, do everything, create everything, all at once. She tries, as many four-year-olds will try, and through her attempts and humorous failures, this little girl learns the power of family love that will remain with her no matter what mistakes she makes along her journey of learning to live. Colorfully illustrated, this is a real treasure of a story.