I picked this book because of the great illustrations. The book is so bright and colorful; the illustrator really put time into making all these floral pictures. They are really beautiful, but the book was ok.. The book was about a girl who had strict parents who never let her use her imagination. They always fused at her for not paying attention and messing up the house. They told if she doesn't stop she will not be able to go to the beach, so she calms down and stops imagining like a child. So, they go to the beach the next day and it is totally not what she expected. All of her family was enjoying the beach and she was sitting in the sand, until her imagination took over in the sand and she created herself as a mermaid. She eventually went into the water with her family and they were all so happy. The end of the book ends with her mother saying "We couldn't dream of loving you more" and that’s all she needed. She was so happy her mother accepts and loves her even though she thought she didn't. All she wanted the whole book was her family’s approval and love, and she eventually noticed they always did love her even though they fused at her sometimes. ( )

If you could imagine anything, what would that be ? We follow along through Florabelles imagination as she imagines herself as mermaid to conquer her fear of the ocean! ( )

I was attracted to this book just by the cover the illustration on the cover page is beautiful so I wanted to see more of the drawings. As I expected the illustrations in this book were amazing and it showed us how Florabelle imagined the world. This book shows us how imagining to be something like a mermaid will help you swim or being anything else that helps you in a difficult time. ( )

An imaginative young girl who enjoyed casting herself as the star of many a magical adventure - fairy princess, ballerina, queen - Florabelle is something of a trial to her more serious family, who wish she'd pay more attention to the real world. Determined to be included in a family trip to the beach, Florabelle attempts to be more serious, only to have her imagination break out altogether once she is at the shore. Picturing any number of monsters in the deep, our heroine won't enter the waters, until her imagination provides the solution to the problem it created...

A fairly pedestrian tale of an imaginative girl somewhat out of step with a prosaic world, as represented by her rather repressed family, Sasha Quinton's Florabelle is the kind of book I might easily have added to my "out-of-step-with-the zeitgeist" shelf. "Not another story about a special child who is so misunderstood by those around her, and persecuted by their expectation that she consider others as well as herself," was my first thought. Happily, the concluding portion of the tale highlights the fact that imagination can do as much to impede discovery as it does to promote it, if not used properly. I appreciated the fact that Quinton's narrative demonstrates that Florabelle's family is a loving one, even if everyone else in it is rather staid in comparison to the eponymous heroine. Leaving these issues aside, this picture-book boasts colorful artwork from illustrator Brigette Barrager, who has worked on such titles as Uni the Unicorn and Sleeping Cinderella, as well as photographer Michel Tcherevkoff. I thought that the composite artwork here, which blends photographic flower elements from Tcherevkoff with illustrated elements from Barrager, was quite interesting, and by far the best part of the book. Recommended primarily to Barrager fans, although those with a strong preference for "imaginative girl against the world" stories might also want to give it a look. ( )

"Forabelle" is an adorable story about a little girl with big dreams. She is always caught daydreaming, wishing she was a princess. Through the illustrators art, we see Florabelle's daydreams come alive. On the first page, for example, we see Florabelle laying in the grass with her long blonde hair laying behind her. In her hair are lots of beautiful flowers and birds. The illustrations are colorful and vivid. Whenever Florabelle is looking at herself in the reflection of a mirror or window, she sees what she dreams of being. The author's use of descriptive language is also what makes this book enjoyable. When Florabelle wants to do something, her parents encourage her to follow their rules and do what she's told. She wanted to go to the beach with them. "Florabelle was focused. Her teeth were sparkling, her dog was fed, and her bed had perfectly tucked corners." This was a good example of how Florabelle was following her parents requests and serves as a good visual. When she envisions a mermaid, "out popped two bright petunia-pink fins." The big idea of this book is to continue dreaming. ( )