It Began with Lemonade

Editorial Reviews From School Library Journal K-Gr 2—Hang in there. The smiling lemons on the initial endpapers hint that something great is about to happen. And if 'it began with lemonade,' and the day is warm, and there is no room for a small girl's lemonade stand on any of her neighborhood corners, readers may begin to suspect that larger schemes are afoot. She pushes, then chases, her stand across fields and down hills. 'So when at last I reached the river, I was ready to cry.' I sat for a long while, feeling terrible as a turnip. The next part of her river adventure arrives in the form of a thirsty fisherman, whose worms look far too happy to ever be on a hook, and our heroine, with brown skin and a big heart, is ready with her ice-cold wares. Children will rejoice at Sterer's blissful text, introducing customer after customer, while Cho's illustrations fill the pages, offering up octopus babies, otters in hats, beavers doing the backstroke, dancing bunnies, clacking crabs, and more, all of whom exhibit a thirst that will not be slaked. Steamboats, tugboats, skiffs, and submarines line up for miles, and like every good proprietor, the child stays open as long as she can, then rumbles home to dream of the next day's business. VERDICT With pages to pore over, this essential purchase will leave readers thirsty, exhilarated, and full of plans of their own. —Kimberly Olson Fakih, School Library Journal Review APWSummer Reads Selection ★ 'Sterer writes a make-lemonade story with a twist. The unexpected developments feel dreamy, too, as Cho's sprightly art, filled with invention and wit, give still more charm to a story about doing one's best with what one's given, and of transitioning from city to wilderness.' —Publishers Weekly, starred review ★ 'Children will rejoice at Sterer’s blissful text, introducing customer after customer, while Cho’s illustrations fill the pages. With pages to pore over, this essential purchase will leave readers thirsty, exhilarated, and full of plans of their own.' —School Library Journal, starred review 'Bright cartoon illustrations are full of funny details, and the alliterative text begs to be read aloud. Encouragement for moguls-to-be and fun for everyone else.' —Kirkus 'With pigtails bouncing and wide smile grinning (and then grimacing), our young entrepreneur brings a frantic energy to the scene, pushing and then chasing her homemade stand (topped with a bespectacled lemon with its expressions) through scenes vibrant with urban chaos and then pastoral sunniness.' —BCCB 'The artwork moves from garish colors befitting a hot summer day to the darker tones of a forest and riverside dreamscape, all overflowing with comic details. A delightful frame for a lesson on conquering challenges.' —Booklist 'Cho's lively, sunny illustrations are the perfect match for Sterer's amusing text.' —The Buffalo News About the Author Gideon Sterer grew up in Upstate New York, where his parents owned a little zoo. His previous books include The Midnight Fair, The Night Knights, and Not Your Nest. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Christmas Owl, illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki. Lian Cho was born in Taiwan, raised in New Zealand, and currently lives in Brooklyn working as a children's book illustrator. Read more