Isabelle (Izzy) is a little girl who is never without her tool kit. She loves mending objects or tweaking gadgets to improve them, and she also invents some of her own fabulous creations.
But the problem you see is that sometimes Izzy's inventions do not seem to go quite according to plan. When disaster strikes Izzy gets cranky, she gets frustrated, she gets mad. And then she gives up.
Despite reassurance and some gentle encouraging advice from her Grandpa that 'sometimes you need to try again and again if you want to succeed', Izzy finds that she's too upset to do so.
It is not until her discovery of a crow who is injured and unable to fly that Izzy finds her motivation to really stick with a project until it is finished. Wishing to find a way to help the crow regain his ability to fly, and with Grandpa and Crow by her side to prompt, encourage and push her to continue when she wants to give up, Izzy is able to overcome a number of obstacles and achieve her goal of helping Crow once again fly through the skies.
An empowering story that encourages readers to build resilience, to work hard, to listen to supportive words and to take time to grieve when things go awry, but then be sure to get back up and try again. Delightful in both rhyme and rhythm and perfectly complimented by Sara Ogilvie's illustrations (the illustrator behind one of my all time favourite books The Worst Princess) there is so much delightful detail to pore over and I intend to do so again and again.
Title: Izzy Gizmo
Author: Pip Jones
Illustrator: Sara Oglivie
Publisher: Simon and Schuster, $24.99
Publication Date: 1 October 2017
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9780857075123
For ages: 3-8
Type: Picture Book
