Itty Bitty Betty Blob by Constance Lombardo, Micah Player

Itty Bitty Betty Blob by Constance Lombardo, Micah Player

My Rating: ★★★★★

I received a copy from Hippo Park through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Itty Bitty Betty Blob has always been different. While all the other monsters thrive in all things scary, she’s been all about sunshine and rainbows ever since she was born. Now that picture day is coming up, Betty is stressed out. Every year, she tries her best to be big, scary, and downright monstrous and it never comes out right because scary is just not who she is. Dressed up in a black dress for her big picture, she gets lost on the way to school and stumbles upon a big cheerful grove and finally embraces who she really is.

I loved following Betty as she tried so hard to fit in when she was clearly the odd one out. She just wants to please her mom by being the big scary monster that’s just not who she is. We see her struggling to fit in with her friends at Ghoulington Academy, but she struggles every day because she’s trying to be something that she’s not. I really enjoyed reading this because it perfectly captures what it feels like trying to fit in when you’re different from what’s expected of you. When we see Betty embrace who she is, we see how happy she is. She shines from the inside out, and even her mom is proud because she sees that she’s no longer struggling.

The artwork is absolutely beautiful, and I love how much color slowly bleeds into the black and white artwork. It really helped tell the story and I think that it’ll really capture young reader’s eyes as they read along. This is such a perfect book to buy for young readers. I really like that Betty’s friends love seeing her shine when she embraces herself, and no one frowns at her not being down right monstrous. I think it has a powerful message that comes through in a way that kids can easily understand and even identify with.