Book Review of Delightfully Different Dilly
The Children’s Book Review
Delightfully Different Dilly
Written by Elizabeth Dale
Illustrated by Liam Darcy
Ages 2+ | 32 Pages
Publisher: Happy Yak | ISBN: 9780711259621
What to expect: Valuing Differences, Animals, and Friendship
A sweet book with a great message, DELIGHTFULLY DIFFERENT DILLY is a treat for small children.
When little Dilly the penguin was born, her parents could not have been more excited. She was practically perfect…except that she was missing one foot. That didn’t bother her parents or even Dilly herself. After all, she learned to do things her way. Whether that was hopping, rolling, or wiggling to get where she needed to go, Dilly did it all. The problem was other parents – Dilly was different, and she was teaching their little penguins to do things differently, too. Much about being a penguin is to blend in, and hopping on one foot certainly doesn’t help a penguin blend in!
That’s when Dilly changed. She tried to hop less to look like the others, but of course, that meant she couldn’t keep up. It was hard to try to be like everyone else when Dilly simply wasn’t. But when Dilly and her little friends get into trouble, Dilly’s special difference is what helps them back to safety. Everyone realizes that Dilly’s differences make her special and save the day for everyone!
Liam Darcy’s illustrations are wide-eyed and adorable, enchanting young readers from the moment they see the bright cover with the world’s cutest penguin. Author Elizabeth Dale’s story of hardship and triumph for little Dilly will have everyone cheering. What I found most fascinating was how Dale didn’t shy away from parents holding the bag for their children’s views. Often, it is our adult misconceptions and insecurities that lead to our children not being accepting of differences. What a great way to ask us all to look at ourselves while reading this fun and inspiring book to our children. And in the end, Dilly’s success is happily cheered by everyone – as it should be.
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About the Author
Elizabeth Dale studied physics and worked for many years in the health service. After her three daughters were born, she was re-introduced to children’s books. Elizabeth lives in rural West Sussex. She has had over 1600 stories (teenage and adult) published all over the world, and has children’s books published for Bloomsbury, Egmont, Andersen, Simon and Schuster and others.
About the Illustrator
Liam Darcy is a British illustrator from London with a BA Hons degree in graphic design from Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication. He finds inspiration mainly from animals, nature, and human interactions.
Denise Mealy reviewed Delightfully Different Dilly. Discover more books like Delightfully Different Dilly by reading our reviews and articles tagged with Animals, Friendship, and Differences.
