Ella Has A Plan by Davina Hamilton with Elena Reinoso the Illustrator This is a beautifully illustrated and very colourful children's book and its all about a little girl called Ella who is so Fed up and doesn't know what to do!!! She starts to quarrel with her cousins when her mum hosts a big party and all her family is there! What will Ella do? Is she bored? no one understands her! All she wants to do is.......Play! its so simple!

I received a free ARC from NetGAlley in exchange for an honest review.

This one didn't really appeal to me. It seemed just a bit too simple. I didn't think the art was all that eye catching. Maybe it will hold the attention of smaller children, but anything over a toddler will probably not be engaged.

Ohh I really enjoyed this book. It was warm, fluffy, easy to read, beautifully illustrated and generally really enjoyable with a lovely storyline. I read this with my two children who are 4 and 6 years old and they both enjoyed it too. Would recommend.

A super cute read that we requested simply because what kid doesn't want to read a book with their name in the title? My Ella has requested to read this one more times than I can count.

A very cute story. I like the illustrations and the rhyming text is fun to read. Kids will like to read about Ella's plan.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* kinda weird book but i get where its coming from lol not sure it would have worked with my cousins tho

This was very simple and cute! Ella is an adorable little girl with a plan to deal with her annoying cousins and make it so the whole family can enjoy her mom's big party!

Interesting Idea, But the Execution??

This is a book you want to like because of what it looks at—children using their ingenuity to solve problems amongst themselves—but the execution didn't quite work for me. I thought it was a bit long for the age range it is intended for. This story is told in rhyme. While much of that worked, and it at times had a good metered cadence, at other times the rhyme and cadence didn't work as well as it should. I didn't like that the adults, both Mom and Great-Grandpa, wouldn't really help Ella think through what she might want to do to help solve her cousin dilemma. I do think children need guidance to learn critical thinking and problem-solving skills; we aren't born knowing all we need to know, and guidance from an adult can really help. I especially didn't like that Great-Grandpa did not share the story she specifically asked him for. Actually, that story was never revealed. I thought it would be before the end of the story, but it was not. I didn't quite get the point of the prank unless it was just to get her cousins to laugh and not focus on their normal, petty, disruptive interactions. I thought, too, that the book ended abruptly. I did like that this showed a loving extended family who clearly had a good time together. There were also issues with grammar, punctuation, and usage. The author appears to be British, but there are certain grammar rules that are the same between the US and UK versions of English. Comma splices were rampant, especially in dialogue, and I saw at least one sentence with a lack of a required comma. I don't like to see language errors in children's books, as children do learn from everywhere. All in all, I felt disappointed by this book.

Ella is trying to come up with a plan so that her cousin's don't argue the entire time and ruin her mom's birthday party. As an adult, even I was kind of confused by her "solution" and can't really imagine that it would hit home with kids. I understand the lesson the book was going for, but it didn't seem to really deliver.

Lovely little book that had rhyming verses which is always a favourite of mine as they seem much more fun for children and seem to keep their attention.
Lovely little story and cute illustrations too so an all around great book.

A cute sing-songy story about family, traditions, gatherings, and the tales that get passed down from generation to generation. Ella has a simple wish for her mother's special party, and her loving family helps her make it a reality. Children of all ages will enjoy this sweet story of kindness and love.

This is a children's book about a girl called Ella who had to come up with a plan to stop her cousins from arguing and fighting at her mother's birthday party. The illustrations were very colourful and detailed and the text was quite long and in rhyme form. My daughter enjoyed the book, however it was a bit long for her (she is only 4), so I think this book would suit children a bit older. She did enjoy looking at the pictures though and listened to most of the story. The message of the book was good and I enjoyed seeing the big extended family and how they interacted with each other.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the idea of this book but not the execution of it. The illustrations were very detailed, though, which I liked.

This is so cute and encourages young children to think critically and arrive to a solution for a problem. I think this is a good thing to let their young minds be creative and explore different options in making decisions and will truly be able to help them in their decision-making skills when they grow up.

What a sweet story. The cover and illustrations are very appealing. The rhyme works well through the story of Ella’s plan to help two friends overcome their differences.

This was such a delightful read. My goddaughter had to read twenty books over the summer and this was one of her favorites. Great for a 6 year old.

This was a really sweet story. With diverse characters. We like to read books from different backgrounds and cultures. This was a little lovely rhyming tale of a little girl who loves to solve problems. My sons enjoyed the rhyming and my elder son, was able to pick out the rhyming words at the end of the sentence. A really lovely little read. We all enjoyed it.

Ella's cousins are coming over for her mothers party and she is attempting to create a plan to make sure they behave and do not mess up her mothers party.
The flow of the rhyme worked really well in this book, the phrasing not turning awkward or feeling out of place. The retention also worked well, engaging the recurring idea of Ella coming up with a plan.
Further the art style and colour scheme was lovely, especially the little details made in the design of the background.
The inclusion of the characters at the end of the book was a really fun detail, all together I really enjoyed it and can see its appeal for the target audience of children.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read and review.

WOW!! This book was super fun. Told in rhyme, we learn how Ella helps her cousins stop bickering with each other. The story is pretty simple and cute, and come on - it all rhymes! This will make a wonderful read aloud! I really appreciate the illustrations and the character guide at the end of the book is pretty neat too.

The art style was very cute and I loved Ella has a character. the family was nice and I loved the prank idea too.