Daisy
by Jessixa Bagley (Author)
When Daisy the warthog's classmates tease her, she finds comfort collecting lost and forgotten things. She knows they're special - and soon she meets a friend who knows it too.
"Daisies seem so simple on the surface, but when you look closely you see their hidden beauty."
That's what Daisy the warthog's mom always says, and it's the reason she got her name. But when Daisy goes to school, she doesn't feel like her name. The other kids, Rose, Violet, and Petunia, make fun of her and call her "Thistle."
Daisy spends a lot of time with her head down, but she doesn't need her classmates to have fun. When she looks at the forest floor, she starts to find all sorts of treasures, beautiful things that were once special and have since been forgotten. The other kids might make fun of her pastime, but it turns out she's not the only one who appreciates the hidden beauty of forgotten things when she meets a like-minded new friend.
With vibrant, sun-dappled art, this is a book for any kid who has trouble fitting in and marches to the beat of their own drum, from the acclaimed author and creator of Boats for Papa, Laundry Day, and Henry and Bea.
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
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Publishers Weekly
Daisy the warthog is named after her mother's favorite flower. Daisies may seem plain, Mama says, "but when you look closer you see their beauty." The young warthog's animal classmates, however, are unwilling to do so--they say Daisy looks "more like a thistle" than a bloom, and Daisy spends her days withdrawn and alone. She finds solace in collecting buttons, lost marbles, and other "old and useless items" that she believes have a hidden beauty like her own; they become decorations for the forest fort she creates, which Bagley (Curious Encounters), working in watercolor and pencil, draws as a place of play and wonder, with the everyday items strung throughout the tree canopy. When items that Daisy hasn't scavenged begin appearing around the fort, she discovers that they're from a classmate and new friend named Fern, a skunk who looks at the world the same way Daisy does. Some readers may feel that the mean girls are let off the hook or wish that Daisy was more defiant in the face of exclusion. But Bagley, always the soul of empathy, doesn't focus on fixing Daisy or her situation. The story's power--and genuine hope--comes from an author acknowledging and validating her protagonist's feelings. Ages 4-8. Agent: Alexandra Penfold, Upstart Crow Literary. (Feb.)
Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
Jessixa Bagley is children’s book author-illustrator with a background in fine art and comics. She has had work featured in publications such as New American Paintings, The Chicago Reader, Nickelodeon Magazine, and Highlights Magazine. Her first picture book, Boats for Papa, received numerous awards and accolades including the 2016 SCBWI Golden Kite Award for picture book text and a 2016 Washington State Book Award. Her picture book Laundry Day received a 2018 Ezra Jack Keats Honor Award for writing. Many of her picture books are also Junior Library Guild Selections. In her work, she’s drawn to animals and emotional themes often inspired by her own experiences. Jessixa also teaches and speaks about writing and illustration. She often illustrates for other writers and artistically collaborates with her husband, Aaron Bagley. Jessixa lives in Seattle with her husband and son.
Aaron Bagley is an illustrator and sometimes author from Seattle, WA. His work has been featured in Illustoria Magazine, The Virginia Quarterly Review, Seattle’s The Stranger, The Seattle Weekly (R.I.P.), and so many more, collect them all, yadda yadda yadda. The children’s book Vincent Comes Home was published in 2018 (Roaring Brook Press) which was a collaboration with his wife, Jessixa. He illustrated the graphic novel Duel (written by Jessixa Bagley) published in November 2023.
JUV039050 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Emotions & Feelings
JUV002200 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Pigs
JUV039140 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance
JUV039230 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Bullying
Animals
Picture books
Warthog
Teasing
Collectors and collecting
