Hello, friends! Our book today is Pippa’s Night Parade, written by Lisa Robinson and illustrated by Lucy’s Illustrations, a clever tale of courage and ingenuity.

Little Pippa has quite the big imagination, enough that it can sometimes be a problem. For instance, the sudden proclivity of her bedtime stories to come alive and terrify her in the night with their beasts, baddies, and brutes. During the day, Pippa uses her creativity to craft clever suits of armor with her fashion sense, but at night she is at the mercy of the villains, and no amount of trickery or even retreat seems to keep them at bay. Pippa decides to face them down once and for all, slipping invitations into each of her books for everyone to come out, and tirelessly planning her mode of attack. She manages to subdue some of the monsters, but not all, and scurries back to the drawing board to regroup. Seeing her protective fashions, she comes up with one last scheme – but is it just crazy enough to work?

A nightmarishly fun romp. Pippa’s last-ditch plan, which is hinted at in the title yet still an entertaining final twist, is a great example of a little one using both courage AND intelligence to solve a problem, with a dash of creativity added in as well. It’s especially nice to see in a young female protagonist, and sends the message that girls are both brave and smart enough to solve their own problems. I especially loved Pippa’s unique fashion sense and the outfits she puts together with it referred to as “armor”; rather than fashion being viewed as frivolous, it’s presented as a form of self-expression and a mark of confidence, and as an interest not mutually exclusive from reading, invention, and imagination. The artwork is fantastic, filled with hilarious details and beautifully-designed creatures, and creating truly creepy (then fun) environments. The length is great, and JJ enjoyed the playful text and artwork. A great story to lead us into spooky season, and it’s Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by a representative of the author in exchange for an honest review.)