Fanny and Annabelle

In a follow-up to Fanny , the resourceful heroine decides to create a picture book about her doll, Annabelle. As Fanny writes, she finds, “The story just happened all by itself.” Hobbie's book alternates between spreads that show Fanny laboring over the creative process and ones that bring readers into the story she's writing, penned in Fanny's scrawl and illustrated by her childlike art. The clever narrative layering (Fanny and Annabelle's stories become inextricably entwined), enriched by the interplay of Annabelle's imaginary world with the urban realism of Hobbie's illustrations, makes for a winning tale about the right thing to do. Ages 3–6. (Sept.)