Pictures Are Good

All the books I remember loving as a kid had illustrations--the Wizard of Oz books, the Narnia books, the Little House books, all the Betsy Tacy books (even the high school ones). But then it seemed like illustrations in chapter books fell out of favor. Julia Gillian, however, is illustrated with fun pen and ink drawings showing Julia Gillian, her dog, Big Foot, her parents, and all the environs in her nine square block area of the city. Julia Gillian can walk anywhere in that nine square block area when she takes Big Foot and tells a grown up before she goes. Julia Gillian, she always goes by both names, is a creative and talented girl but she doesn't like to read much. She finally finds a book she thinks she'd like to read, a book with a green cover. Unfortunately, after she starts to read the green book, she realizes that it is probably going to have a sad ending and she's afraid to finish it. But Julia Gillian is a resourceful girl and she has many supportive adults in her life. Julia Gillian is going to be fine--she just doesn't realize it yet.