This is a Historical Fiction Children's Character book/Early Middle Grade book that I read to my twin boys. This book is a great book to help you talk to your kids about sadness/health mental. This is a cute book with some cute pictures. I read this book to my boys over two days. They enjoyed it, and while I was reading I would stop and ask them questions/talk about how the characters where feeling. I also feel the historical parts where really good, and I like talking to my boys about the time period this book took place in. Great book. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

Elisabeth and the Box of Colours is about a young girl called Elisabeth who loves art just like her dad. When she is sent to boarding school, her box of coloured crayons is taken from her but she continues to draw for all her friends. When she gets some bad news, her crayons are mysteriously returned and she gets so much comfort from them. This is a gorgeous book with stunning, almost magical illustrations from Rebecca Cobb. Young readers of 6 or 7 upwards will be able to read it on their own but it is short enough to read as a bedtime story and engage preschool children. This is based on the life of French portrait artist Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun and teaches children about following their passions and resilience.

This is a cute children's book. I think it could be a good read for children getting used to school. This author has a decent amount of books. The illustrations are well done.

A beautiful touching tale of finding colour in life after loss. Initially I didn't realize this was a small chapter book but the subject matter would lean towards kids a little bit older anyway. I really enjoyed the illustrations and the fact that it's based on real French portrait artist Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun and at the end of the book there is a little history on her and her life.

My daughter read this short book in one sitting! She really likes the Little Gems books so was happy when I was accepted. She loved the illustrations as they gain more colour as the story goes on. The story follows the life of Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun, who was born in 1755, and grew up to be a world famous artist. She really loved this book. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

From the off it's obvious here that the writing is bringing to the page every mention of colour possible – all the more so to highlight how dreary and grey the boarding school Elizabeth gets packed off to is. She has to be reminded that colour exists almost, and to take the small pleasures it brings – but things get even blacker when bad news arrives.

The fact I say that and that this is an inspirational story kind of spoils the ending, but this is a fine little read about having the courage of your convictions, using your talents if you have them, and making the world a better place, however small the improvements. Barrington Stoke will be able to tell you when it comes out what age difficulty this has and what audience it seeks, for they deal with books primarily for dyslexics and other reading hindrances. It certainly reads very young – only a couple of large-print sentences per page, and it's all over rather speedily. Said bad news and all the narrative twists are brought to us ever so lightly, making this based-on-real-life story a welcome one. An affirmatory four stars plus.

This is a powerful children's story about dealing with death and grief. An empowering story for young readers, it delves into the emotional challenges we face when someone we love dies.

Elizabeth lives in Paris with her mother, father, and little brother. Their home is full of joy and laughter. Her father is an artist and Elizabeth loved watching him work in his studio. Her life was full of color because of him. Elizabeth loved art herself and was very creative. Her father would let her use all his art supplies and she would paint and draw as much as possible. Then she learns she is going away to school. After leaving her family, the world starts to look a little different. Things have lost some of their color and everything looks a little grey and drab. She is banned from wearing bright colors and even worse, she can't use the colored crayons her father sent with her and they are destroyed. Greyness surrounded her and she began to feel grey herself. Even so, she reveled in the beauty of the world around her, sunsets and yellow butterflies. She began to draw again, even if it was only with black ink. Then tragedy strikes, her father gets sick and dies. Her world is no longer grey, it is black. She withdraws from the world until the other girls encourage her to draw again. So she does, drawing her fathers face. Then she is gifted new colored crayons. She draws more and the joy returns to her life along with the color. She grows up and becomes a talented artist.

The story, based on the life of the real Elizabeth Vigee Le Brun in 1755, is a way to help children connect with their grief and loss, showing them that they can still find joy and color even when things seem dark and grey. Mental health is such a critical part of childhood that often gets overlooked and this is a wonderful way to help children tackle some of the things that can negatively effect their mental health. This would be an amazing addition for classroom libraries, counselling offices and more.

There are painted cartoon-style illustrations scattered throughout that follow the path of the story. Starting out bright and vibrant, then growing dull through the middle. The prose is simple, the perfect chapter book for developing readers to try and tackle independently. Incorporating social and emotional education into children's books is a tried and true way to teach an important life skill in a way that doesn't seem so flat and boring. A valuable lesson for everyone to learn and remember. I absolutely recommend sharing this book with all the children in your life.