This lively little story will make perfect sense to young children who know just what it’s like to have a copycat admirer, and has some gentle messages too about sharing and playing together. Bella loves Anna so much that she wants to be just like her, and copies everything she does until they have a falling out. With no-one to play with, Bella teaches herself to skip and soon makes a new friend in Chloe. Then when Anna comes back, she can’t help but join in with the two of them. Ali Pye’s illustrations radiate humour and fun and her three little kittens are real characters. ~ Andrea Reece
The Editor at Nosy Crow says: “Playground behaviour can be absolutely fascinating – it can be funny; it can be mean; it can be frankly adorable. And this brilliantly-observed book weaves together all of the highs, the lows and the dilemmas of playtime, with an end result that’s both sweetly funny and subtly reassuring.”
Bella loves Anna. In fact, Bella loves Anna SO MUCH that she wants to be just like her, and copies every single thing she does. But like all little kittens, Bella and Anna get into a bit of a tangle ...Between Bella's wobbly efforts with a hula-hoop, her disastrous ballerina twirls and her catastrophic fancy dress attempts, Bella never quite gets the hang of things. And then Anna suddenly snaps - she's had enough of Bella being SUCH a copycat! What is Bella going to do?
With an adorable troupe of colourful kittens and vibrant illustrations, this author-illustrator debut from rising star Ali Pye is a light-hearted look at playground friendships and finding your own way.
Ali Pye wanted to be an illustrator ever since she was little, and used to draw stories and stick the pages together to make little books. But it took her a few years and a stint as a copy editor to start drawing professionally. She graduated from the Kingston MA in Illustration in 2010 and is now a full time illustrator. Follow Ali Pye on Instagram