The Girl Who Noticed Everything by Jane Porter illustrated by Maisie Paradise Shearring

There are a couple of moments in this book which made me feel very sad. Stella does notice 'everything' and at times this is lucky for her dad for example when he misplaces his hat. She is a naturally curious girl but dad sometimes feels uncomfortable when she points out differences:

"They passed a man wearing a furry hat with big ear flaps. Stella turned to look. 'Is he wearing a cat on his head?' she asked loudly. 'Shhhh! He might be embarrassed if he hears you say that,' said Dad ... "

Stella can sense she has done the wrong thing so she becomes very quiet. She stops telling dad about all the amazing things she can see on their way to the park. When they arrive she sees a lady in wearing all the colours of the rainbow but dad says:

"Let's play at NOT noticing things for a while, shall we?"

Luckily Stella does still notice things, but she keeps her thoughts to herself. That lady in the rainbow had been calling sadly 'Frankie! Frankie!'. Stella finds a beautiful blue feather and then she sees a bright flash of feathers in a tall tree. Yes - it is Frankie. She takes her dad's hand, and they find the rainbow lady then Stella leads them both back to the tree and the rainbow lady is reunited with her special companion.

Luckily all of this means dad changes his mind and indeed he begins to notice the tiny and beautiful things on their walk home.

Here is a video of the author Jane Porter talking about her book with the illustrator Maisie Paradise Shearring. This book is available in paperback (published January 2023) - a perfect addition to your library. 

The combination of dad being loving yet slightly distracted is highly relatable and Stella feels totally real to me. The adult learning from the child is a nice touch which is subtly done ... Letterbox Library

The Girl Who Noticed Everything addresses relevant (and potentially quite challenging) issues by drawing its audience in and delighting rather than instructing them. Its focus on the visual and imaginative joys of connecting and observing are particularly welcome, and embedded within the story and images are prompts for learning and discussion. Jane Porter’s cheerful text has a natural, real-world feel, and Maisie Paradise Shearring’s characters also burst with life. Plenty of location-specific spreads anchor the action in familiar settings (a rumpled sitting room, an urban street, a sandpit…) but good use is made of white backgrounds to focus attention on Stella’s internal world. Books for Keeps

Publisher blurb: Stella is a great detective. She can’t help noticing everything around her – clouds shaped like horses, wheelie bins with faces, a lonely glove on a fence, people that look like their dogs and even a man with a furry hat that looks like a cat on his head. Stella tells Dad about everything she’s seen but Dad is worried that she’s going to hurt people’s feelings. But when Stella spots a sad lady in the park she knows that speaking up is just the right thing to do.

This is a companion book to The Boy who loved Everyone.

Here are some other books illustrated by Maisie Paradise Shearring: