About the Author

Kelly DiPucchio is the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Grace for President and numerous other books for kids, including Super Manny Stands Up!; Crafty Chloe, Zombie in Love, Gaston, and Antoinette. She lives with her husband and three children in Michigan. You can find out more about Kelly and her books at KellyDiPucchio.com.

Heather Ross is an illustrator and fabric designer whose crafty creations have found commercial success and a massive online following. She has illustrated the Crafty Chloe books Crafty Chloe and Dress-Up Mess-Up and is also the author of the craft book Weekend Sewing. She grew up in the Vermont countryside and has a tremendous appreciation for nature, which continues to influence her work now that she lives with her husband in New York City. Visit her at HeatherRoss.squarespace.com.

Reviews

* “Crafty Chloe is the creative cousin of Clementine. Ginger haired, with an adorable taste in free-to-be-me outfits and a heart of gold, this young heroine finds original and kind-hearted solutions to big problems…. DiPucchio is to be commended for providing a simple and strong story with a loving solution that will surprise readers. Strong pacing and fanciful illustrations full of happy yellow highlights capture a delightfully determined and winning child. Ross gives Chloe a sweet individuality that makes her memorable and likable. A corresponding website provides crafting ideas and instructions. Required reading for any child going to a birthday party.”

--Kirkus Reviews, November 15, 2011, *STAR

“This vignette features a young girl dealing with feelings of inadequacy, peer pressure, and birthday-gift one-upmanship…. The girls’ facial expressions are priceless…. A pleasant girl-centric story ideal for those beginning to make the leap from shorter picture books.”

--Booklist, December 15, 2011

“DiPucchio’s writing has an amusingly wry conversational tone…. Ross’s snappy illustrations, with high-spirited pencil lines touched with digital color, depict wide-eyed, redheaded Chloe at home in a detailed crafty girl’s paradise where tubes of glitter, sewing patterns, and scraps of paper litter the floors, and Chloe’s dog, Bert, is an expressive and supportive assistant.”

--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, January 2012

“This book loudly shouts that everyone has talents and encourages children to develop those things they do well…. In Chloe, the author has created a gracious spirit who gives of herself. Illustrations support the story’s playful mood.”

—Library Media Connection, Recommended

K-Gr 2-Chloe isn't good at sports, video games, or dancing. Her forte is making things, from coffee-filter hats to outfits for her dog. However, when it comes time to get a birthday present for her best friend, Emma, she goes shopping. She zeroes in on the perfect gift, Violet, a Flower Girl doll, when another child, London, informs her she has already purchased it for Emma. Although London says this "extra sweetly," the expression on her face, as well as her dog's, tells a different story. When Chloe says she will make Emma something instead, London is nasty and derisive. However, when the doll comes to grief on the way to the party, Chloe's homemade creation saves the day, and London's derision turns to praise. While Chloe is a likable character, her excessive concern over the birthday present (going so far as to feign illness to avoid the party) is unrealistic, as is London's instant transformation. While Ross's digitally colored pencil illustrations add some humor to the story, this is strictly an additional purchase.-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.