The Dirt Girl by Jodi Dee seems familiar. Maybe I have read it before, or maybe it is just a familiar subject. Either way this book is a solid three as I was not blown away by it, but it was also comfortably enjoyable.
When Zafera goes to school for the first time, the children tease her. She is the definition of a “Wild Child of Nature.” Ladybugs and twigs in her hair, dirt on her face and dress. OF course, different means “bad” and the other children will not play. But in an attempt to make friends, she invites her entire class to her birthday, and they learn how wonderful her environmental home is, and how much fun it is to have flowers, twigs, and dirt on your person.
It is sweet, but also predictable. It is a nice concept and done in a thoughtful way. The artwork is both comfortable and bold. I think it depends on how you are feeling that the moment of reading if you like them or not. The colors are bright, especially Zafera as everything about her is to show you how “magical and wonderful” she is; how earth-bound and wild she can be. The images are detailed and are both background and support for the text. It is text heavy, but so are the illustrations. Both need to be read to get the full picture of what Dee is saying.
This would work best for school age children at least five and up, and a great addition to a school classroom.