Edie Is Ever So Helpful

by Sophy Henn

Edie is a funny, well-intentioned force of nature who leaves a trail of damage wherever she goes. Olivia meets Fancy Nancy .

Edie is EVER so helpful. In fact, helping is one of the things she's best at! Some might even say she's too good.

Whether it's helping her family wake up bright and early with an extremely loud song, brightening up the walls of her house with lots and lots of colorful paint, or styling grandpa's hair in the latest fashion . . . while he's fast asleep, sometimes Edie needs to be reminded not to be quite so helpful. Perfect for fans of Olivia, Fancy Nancy and Eloise -- a joyful celebration of good intentions gone wrong.

Praise for Edie Is Ever So Helpful

"A charming, funny selection that's sure to be embraced." --Kirkus Reviews

"Sure to be a big hit, this delightful story will be enjoyed one-on-one while also making an excellent read-aloud in storytime." --School Library Journal

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, Family, Storytime, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

Published January 9, 2018

About the author

Sophy Henn (www.sophyhenn.com) lives and works in Sussex, England. She studied Fashion at Central Saint Martins, accidentally had a London based career as an Art Director in advertising, then completed an MA at University of Brighton in Illustration. Now she writes and illustrates children's books in her studio, with a large cup of tea by her side, and can't quite believe her luck. WHERE BEAR? is her first book. Follow @sophyhenn.

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I noticed this in the library and was attracted by the nice illustrations in an appealing colour scheme of mustard yellow, duck egg blue, navy and red. The story was dissapointing though, Edie gets up early, likes to help and she is lively. My children wouldn't have found this interesting when they were small.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute pictures.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE LOVE LOVE. An Eloise descendant . . . precocious but not in an awful, Caillou-esque way. Illustrations are also gorgeous, '60s-style color palette.

[Mary Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Edie's idea of helping is not quite helpful most of the time.

[Karol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful illustrations.
Edie is a very well meaning girl who learns when she goes a bit too far with her helpfulness.

[Emma Andje · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations in this tale are adorable! The color scheme is quite on trend right now for children's interior design. However, the story is somewhat boring and could easily give off the wrong message to children who are not able to understand the double meanings in this book. The main character thinks she is being helpful, but is a parent's worst nightmare by drawing on the walls, messing up mom's desk, and waking everyone up obscenely early.

Overall, not my favorite book and not one that I would personally recommend. On the other hand, it is also not the kind of book that I would warn customers about, either, because if the child understands the message, it could be a great book for them.

I was given an ARC of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.

[Amanda Walz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this story to be okay.... I mostly see a parent reading this book to the child who is like Edie. In the story the words which are told by Edie, states she is helpful. The illustrations show that not to be true.
I didn't really care for this story. I thought the pictures very cute but I was drawn away from the story itself. By Edie telling the story, it made her come off as very shelf centered in a negative light. The pictures show her doing things that are not kind, and she didn't always do them to be kind. And the one time she is chastised she doesn't really get it.

I think that if this story was told in a different voice it would be much more likable and relatable.

[Roseanna Crissman Laws · Rating 5 out of 5]

This children's Realistic Fiction picture book is appropriate for preschool to third and fourth grade students. Younger children will be amused at Edie’s shenanigans who is the main character. Third and fourth graders can compare and contrast Edie’s point of view versus her family members point of view. Edie is full of life and likes to help out around the house, or so she thinks she is helping out. Her family members think differently about her attempt to help out. For example, she sometimes innocently makes a mess or ruins something important that doesn't belong to her. In a preschool or kindergarten classroom, I would use this book as a fun read aloud, also the illustrations are great and are sure to make you giggle. I would use this book in a third or fourth grade classroom to introduce point of view. It is easy to see Edie’s point of view compared to her parents, grandparents, younger brother and even her dog. I think this is a great book because I have found it hard to find shorter, quick books to read aloud to teach point-of-view. I first read this book with my daughter who is in preschool, this quickly became her favorite book. She laughs and giggles every time we read this book. Her favorite character is the grandpa for obvious reasons that you can determine after you read the book!

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henn, Sophy Edie Is Ever so Helpful. PICTURE BOOK. Philomel Books (Penguin Random House), 2017. $17. 9780399548062

Little Edie is SO proud of how helpful she is. She is quite happy to wake her family up (very!) early, select (way too many!) items at the grocery store, and push kids on the swing at the park (whether they want it or not!) But is it possible to maybe be a little TOO helpful?

Parents and teachers who have had children with larger-than-life, I'll-do-it-myself personalities will likely recognize Edie's antics. And kids who are themselves too enthusiastically helpful could learn a little something from Edie's own consequences. All in all a delightful book with fun pictures and a plucky protagonist.

Pre-K -- ADVISABLE. Sydney G., K-6 Library Media Specialist
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...

[Kaethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The jacket copy compares Edie to Olivia and Eloise, which is why I picked it up. I'm not sure the comparisons are the best way to go, because those are pretty high standards: huge fan of Olivia. Edie is no Olivia, despite the impressive sandcastle. Instead, let me talk about the lovely art and the beautiful palette. The family felt very 21st century (not mid-century vaguish like so many picture books). The dad in his omnipresent scarf and spiky hair reminded me of The Little Prince, which was a pleasant comparison. The mom had her hair in a messy bun and wore pants. Really contemporary.

It's a pretty book, and that is enough.

After putting it down I noticed how many other books on the table used a similar palette: but the others were lots more colors, or not quite the same. None was as striking.

Library copy

[Jj · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Insert sad little sigh here). Sorry, I just couldn't get into this one. The title character is not compelling in the way that Eloise, Lola, or other some other young mischief-makers-with-good-intentions are to me. Illustrations are nice, and I do like the color palette, but there's not a whole lot here I could get into. It seems like it's the sort of thing parents will like, but kids... won't be too interested in? I'll be interested to see how the young ones like it.

Thanks to Penguin Young Readers for the review copy.

[Lacy | literary_lacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a cute read. The illustrations were so colorful and pretty. My daughter liked pointing out all the different colors on the pages.

My son smiled with every page read. The sentences are short, and simple so they held my little ones’ attention.

Edie thinks the is very helpful in this book, but sometimes she end up being too helpful, or being more messy than helpful, but she has good intentions.

This is a cute book to teach kids that sometimes they can be too helpful, or helpful in the wrong ways, so it’s good to find a happy medium or a different way to help.

[Liana Pitel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story about little Edie who is exuberantly ‘helpful’ (read as-must watch this child 24/7!) lol. When the grandparents are visiting & catching their afternoon naps, Edie helps with grandma’s makeup & helps with grandpa’s hair! Edie helps everyone get up in the morning by playing her musical instruments as loud as possible. She even helps brighten the home up a bit by painting pictures on the wall, but was reminded to be not that helpful.

This book was marked with the seal from Dolly Patton’s Imagination Library. Dolly started the program in 1996. Dolly is a great person!!

[Ashley Adkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple story about a young daughter who is always trying to help although sometimes others might not find her actions very helpful. I read this with my 9 and 10 year old boys and they thought it was cute that Edie saw herself as helpful in situations that may not have been the case. My boys are great with young kids so they understood what the story was getting at. I enjoyed the colors used in the illustrations but I thought they were a bit messy.

[Stacie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Edie is a real go-getter of a girl who likes to have her fingers on the pulse of her surroundings, essentially holding her family hostage to her whims and ideas. I was reminded - negatively in comparison - to those sweet, helpful kids in “We Help Mommy”. Kids who listened to their parents and truly helped out. Sigh. I guess I’m officially old since I’m longing for the good old days in that book. Also Edie has a pretty ageist opinion of her grandparents. The pictures are exuberant though.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edie exuberantly helps in less than helpful ways.

Young go-getters will relate to Edie's eagerness to dive in and "help" whenever she sees a need, and adult caregivers may relate to having charges who like to help by making a mess, causing a ruckus, and getting in the way.

Disclosure: Dolly Parton was kind enough to send our family this book through her Imagination Library Foundation.

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore the illustrations in this book! The pastel/muted tones with lots of blank space were visually appealing. The story about an overly "helpful" child ring so true to anyone who has or works with children. You just can't blame them! I did like that it ends with the right ways to help. This is a great choice for a preschool-2nd grade storytime.

[Eliot Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Edie is full of energy and all she wants to do is “help” her family. However, her eagerness to please, by loudly waking up her parents, messily preparing breakfast, and putting makeup on her sleeping grandma, though funny, are quite annoying and not very helpful. Edie pushes her family to their limits until she realizes that if she tones it down a little her actions are more acceptable.

[L · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this is fun for the grown ups reading it, the intended audience (3-4yos?) aren't in on the joke and sarcasm. It ends up feeling like it's mocking little kids rather than laughing with them. Also wish her transgression against consent (makeup on her sleeping grandma's face) was called out as not ok rather than funny and sweet.

[Catie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edie is ever so helpful - if helpful is painting the walls, eating the groceries instead of putting them away, and putting on grandma's makeup - while she's sleeping. As an adult, I could find it entertaining, at the same time, my niece is still too little to know the difference between sarcasm and true helpfulness. So we are going to wait on this one...

[Seema Rao · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brightly-illustrations and simple text tell the story of a very helpful young girl, whose mother might have a different take on the situation. Nice details in the illustrations, despite their simplicity, like a modernist lamp and a pom pom garland.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Edie always wants to be helpful but overdoes it by acting before thinking and listening. She figures it out by the end.
Illustrations support the text and demonstrate clearly that Edie is doing what she wants to do.
Text tells a story told frequently in children's books.

[Martin ReadsBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Edie is Ever So Helpful" is about a little girl named Edie who tries her hardest to help people but actually her help is a little crazy. Sometimes her help isn't very helpful at all.

I think everyone would like this book because the girl is crazy and it makes you feel happy.

[Snail · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was attracted by the cover of this book and the little Pom-poms along the spine, as well as the cover illustration. I didn’t like the illustrations inside, and felt the story was boring and the writing stiff, but I can see some children enjoying it.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

When good intentions go wrong.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I might have identified with Edie a little too much...

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Sophy Henn’s illustrations (as always) and Edie reminds me of quite a few “helpful” little ones I know!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Because every child thinks he or she is EVER so helpful at one point or another. Great book!

[Clare Bird · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book was like watching my day with my 2 year old unfold before my eyes... too close to home lol. Overall, not my favorite story but I loved the colors and pictures!