Becoming Vanessa
- Downloads：2838
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-04 06:52:03
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Vanessa Brantley-Newton
- ISBN：0525582126
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
For readers of Alma and How She Got Her Name and The King of Kindergarten， this story will help kids just starting school transform from timid caterpillars into beautiful butterflies so they can love who they are。
On Vanessa’s first day of school， her parents tell her it will be easy to make friends。 Vanessa isn’t so sure。 She wears her fanciest outfit so her new classmates will notice her right away。 They notice， but the attention isn’t what she’d hoped for。 As the day goes on， she feels more self-conscious。 Her clothes are too bright， her feather boa has way too many feathers， and even her name is too hard to write。
The next day， she picks out a plain outfit， and tells her mom that her name is too long。 She just wants to blend in， with a simple name like the other girls—why couldn’t her parents have named her Megan or Bella？ But when her mother tells her the meaning behind her name， it gives her the confidence she needs to introduce her classmates to the real Vanessa。
On Vanessa’s first day of school， her parents tell her it will be easy to make friends。 Vanessa isn’t so sure。 She wears her fanciest outfit so her new classmates will notice her right away。 They notice， but the attention isn’t what she’d hoped for。 As the day goes on， she feels more self-conscious。 Her clothes are too bright， her feather boa has way too many feathers， and even her name is too hard to write。
The next day， she picks out a plain outfit， and tells her mom that her name is too long。 She just wants to blend in， with a simple name like the other girls—why couldn’t her parents have named her Megan or Bella？ But when her mother tells her the meaning behind her name， it gives her the confidence she needs to introduce her classmates to the real Vanessa。
Reviews
Maleeha Siddiqui
，
A sweet picture book perfect for reading before the first day of school。
Lori Tart
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A wonderfully sweet read encouraging littles to start appreciating their uniqueness and to know how carefully their names are chosen by loving parents。
Elizabeth
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I can definitely relate to having to learn to write a longer name than my classmates did！
Earl
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Based on the author/illustrator's own childhood experiences， Vanessa wants to make a good first impression with her classmates。 But when her outfit is deemed too much and her name too long， she starts second guessing her approach until her parents remind Vanessa to just be herself and people will see what makes her special that way。 Based on the author/illustrator's own childhood experiences， Vanessa wants to make a good first impression with her classmates。 But when her outfit is deemed too much and her name too long， she starts second guessing her approach until her parents remind Vanessa to just be herself and people will see what makes her special that way。 。。。more
Kate
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One quibble -- mom says Vanessa means metamorphosis but calls her 'my butterfly。' Then Vanessa says her name means butterfly -- admittedly that sounds better than metamorphosis but。。。 Small quibble though for a story about a girl embracing what makes her special。 Love the brightly colored and welcoming art with small pieces of collage mixed in with crayon， watercolor， and marker illustrations。 Caterpillars， cocoons and butterflies appear throughout--endpapers， furniture and lunchbox decorations， One quibble -- mom says Vanessa means metamorphosis but calls her 'my butterfly。' Then Vanessa says her name means butterfly -- admittedly that sounds better than metamorphosis but。。。 Small quibble though for a story about a girl embracing what makes her special。 Love the brightly colored and welcoming art with small pieces of collage mixed in with crayon， watercolor， and marker illustrations。 Caterpillars， cocoons and butterflies appear throughout--endpapers， furniture and lunchbox decorations， the classroom， and dad's tshirt。 。。。more
Dan
，
I could see this being a great story for the first day/week of school。 Definitely a great book for elementary schools！
Rebecca Anne
，
A cute story similar to Kevin Henkes "Chrysanthemum。" I liked how Vanessa's name had a special meaning， and her being herself meant she was automatically special without trying hard。 A cute story similar to Kevin Henkes "Chrysanthemum。" I liked how Vanessa's name had a special meaning， and her being herself meant she was automatically special without trying hard。 。。。more
Alice
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4 stars - Vanessa wants to bring her bright bold style to school， but the other kids are overwhelmed。 Can she become a Vanessa that is true to herself？
Angela
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The first day of school can be tricky。 Will they like me？ What should I wear？ Vanessa’s first day doesn’t go as planned。 Maybe it’s better to blend in than to stand out。 Vanessa’s mom helps her find the confidence to be herself and show her classmates who the real Vanessa is。
Laura
，
3。5
Liz
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A great back-to-school story and about loving yourself！ （Also， a dad walking their child to school！ Shouldn't be a big deal， but I was happy to see it。） A great back-to-school story and about loving yourself！ （Also， a dad walking their child to school！ Shouldn't be a big deal， but I was happy to see it。） 。。。more
Vanessa
，
Beautiful text and illustrations！
Elisabeth
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3。5 stars。
CCPL Buzz
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MH
Ettak
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Lovely illustrated picture book。Little Vanessa put a smile on my face！ Perfect story for first day of school jitters。I really enjoyed the positive messages and the accompanying art is wonderful！I am unsure how it is categorized: collage with overlaid illustrations？In any case， it is vibrant， fun and interesting to take time to discover the reused papers making up the layers。
Peace_Love_Reading
，
Enjoyed this book very much 。 I loved the idea and the amazing artwork 。 I only took one star off because my son didn’t really get the message from the book 。 He thought it was about loving other people 。 But overall I loved it and enjoyed my time reading it to my son 。
Anthony
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A story inspired by real life events from the author's childhood tells of a little girl who's first day of school was a little less than special for her。 After telling her parents that her name was to long to write， her mother takes the time to explain what her name means， and why she has it。 A story inspired by real life events from the author's childhood tells of a little girl who's first day of school was a little less than special for her。 After telling her parents that her name was to long to write， her mother takes the time to explain what her name means， and why she has it。 。。。more
Mary
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This is a lovely book and I loved Vanessa and her parents as well as the kids at school， who weren't mean to her when she showed up in her tutu and boa！ This is a lovely book and I loved Vanessa and her parents as well as the kids at school， who weren't mean to her when she showed up in her tutu and boa！ 。。。more
Lisa D
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Loved it！
Nanny Miss Monique
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Award winning and illustrious illustrator Vanessa Brantley-Newton has captured our hearts providing artwork for many of our favorite children's picture books over her incredible published career。 When she’s on double duty using pen and paintbrush， she shows us that her passion for children and her mastery of language， color， and mixed media makes her truly one of the once-in-a-century literary talents of our generation。With “Becoming Vanessa”， loosely based on her own childhood， she offers a gli Award winning and illustrious illustrator Vanessa Brantley-Newton has captured our hearts providing artwork for many of our favorite children's picture books over her incredible published career。 When she’s on double duty using pen and paintbrush， she shows us that her passion for children and her mastery of language， color， and mixed media makes her truly one of the once-in-a-century literary talents of our generation。With “Becoming Vanessa”， loosely based on her own childhood， she offers a glimpse to where her talent originates， while teaching children the value of individuality and self-worth。 Vanessa is a creative， unique， and imaginative little girl， who’s parents know that she is very special。 On her first day of school， however， Vanessa is not feeling so special。 What can she do to stand out and show her new school the best version of herself？ When she tries to glam up with an audacious outfit （think “Mary Had a Little Glam”， also illustrated by Brantley-Newton）， it is received with mixed results。 Once her mother encourages her to look a little deeper， and gives her some much needed insight about the significance of her distinctive name， she returns to school with the confidence and inner peace she needs to find her voice and be proud of the wonderfully made little lady she really is， inside and out。Brantley-Newton is no stranger to teaching children that being different is a super power and is something worth celebrating。 “Becoming Vanessa” is a hardcover masterpiece in that same vein， and is artistically remarkable from cover to cover。 It’s a dazzling mix of watercolor and patterned cut-outs， giving it a depth and richness that stands out just like the beautiful spirit of little Vanessa。 。。。more
Kara Marsee
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A first day of school story with a ton of heart。
Beth P
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Great anytime， but especially first day/week of school or before a new student arrives
Roben
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Did you know that Vanessa is Greek for butterfly？ I didn't either until I read this book。 It is all about Vanessa's first day at school - Kindergarten？ Everyone has to write their name so it might be 1st grade。 Even though Vanessa wears her special clothes， the day does not go very well for her。 She doesn't understand why her parents gave her such a l-o-n-g name - and it has TWO s's！ So hard to write。 The next day， her mom explains why they named her Vanessa - hoping that she would be encouraged Did you know that Vanessa is Greek for butterfly？ I didn't either until I read this book。 It is all about Vanessa's first day at school - Kindergarten？ Everyone has to write their name so it might be 1st grade。 Even though Vanessa wears her special clothes， the day does not go very well for her。 She doesn't understand why her parents gave her such a l-o-n-g name - and it has TWO s's！ So hard to write。 The next day， her mom explains why they named her Vanessa - hoping that she would be encouraged to be whoever she wanted to be。 Lovely illustrations， affirming， inclusive， and encouraging for all young folks headed off to their first day of school。 Plus it could also be included in a butterfly themed storytime。 Lots of places to use this one。I would pair it with Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal or Ross Burach's new The Little Butterfly that Could OR We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T。 Higgins。 。。。more
Pam
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Vanessa had a difficult first day of school。 She struggled to write her name， and her classmates didn't appreciate her fashion choices。 She decides to pick a shorter name until her parents explain why they named her Vanessa。 The next day she is ready to share how special she is and how her name means transition to a butterfly。 Lovely message for nervous students。 Beautiful， detailed illustrations bring out the emotions。 Vanessa had a difficult first day of school。 She struggled to write her name， and her classmates didn't appreciate her fashion choices。 She decides to pick a shorter name until her parents explain why they named her Vanessa。 The next day she is ready to share how special she is and how her name means transition to a butterfly。 Lovely message for nervous students。 Beautiful， detailed illustrations bring out the emotions。 。。。more
Becky Scharnhorst
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As expected， Vanessa Brantley-Newton’s vibrant and colorful illustrations lit up every page of this sweet， first day of school story。 The entire book is a visual treat！ Children getting ready for their own first day will easily be able to relate to young Vanessa’s worry that no one will like her。 They will also learn the best way to show others how special you are is by embracing your own unique self。
Vas
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Love the illustrations！！！！
Tamara Cox
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Add this to your first day of school book lists。 Great message about being yourself and making friends。
NOLA
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If you're looking for more diverse picture follow me on IG @nolasaysreadVanessa is excited for her first day of school and picks out her fanciest outfit to make good impression。 Unfortunately her classmates wonder why her shoes are so shiney， can't see behind her hat and complains about the trail of feathers her boa leaves behind。 Vanessa even has a hard time writing her name and wants something easier to write。The illustrations are what you would expect from a book by Vanessa Newton， beautiful， If you're looking for more diverse picture follow me on IG @nolasaysreadVanessa is excited for her first day of school and picks out her fanciest outfit to make good impression。 Unfortunately her classmates wonder why her shoes are so shiney， can't see behind her hat and complains about the trail of feathers her boa leaves behind。 Vanessa even has a hard time writing her name and wants something easier to write。The illustrations are what you would expect from a book by Vanessa Newton， beautiful， detailed， colorful and vibrant and the message is adorable: you're perfect the way you are and you don't need shiny shoes or fancy clothes to make new friends or to show people how special you are！ 。。。more
Julie Rowan-Zoch
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Little Vanessa uses her bold and feathery fashion sense to help boost her confidence on the first day of school， but it doesn't seem to engage her classmates as she hoped it would。 When she is reminded of how she got her name she expresses herself in a unique way to share and connect with new friends。 Readers will connect easily with little Vanessa's trials and the warm and beautiful illustrations。 Little Vanessa uses her bold and feathery fashion sense to help boost her confidence on the first day of school， but it doesn't seem to engage her classmates as she hoped it would。 When she is reminded of how she got her name she expresses herself in a unique way to share and connect with new friends。 Readers will connect easily with little Vanessa's trials and the warm and beautiful illustrations。 。。。more
Jillian Heise
，
Fabulous！ With themes related to first day of school， self-confidence， name stories， individuality， & making friends， this is a must-have picture book for every elementary library。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Becoming Vanessa
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Becoming Vanessa&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Becoming Vanessa&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0