Two Cozy Chapter Books: Beti and the Little Round House and Stella & Marigold

Two new Chapter Books about Beti, Stella, and Marigold celebrate the simple joys of seasons and siblings.

Beti and the Little Round House by Atinuke, illustrated by Emily Hughes. Candlewick, 2024, 120 pages.

Reading Level: Chapter Book, ages 7-9

Recommended for: ages 4-9 as a read-aloud; ages 7-10 independent readers

The house has thick earth walls that keep it warm and cozy. Tree trunks hold up the grassy roof with its cheerful chimney. It is a house made of trees and grass and earth. Just like the woods.

I was expecting a story set in Africa, like the other Atinuke chapter books. But in the Author Note at the beginning, she tells of moving to Wales with her toddler son to live “in a roundhouse built of straw and clay in the woods. It was a life of magic, and of mud.” Any reader still expecting Africa will be nonplussed by the appearance of horses, bluebells snuggled in moss, and white playmates (Beti herself is biracial.) But the magic is the same all over the world: whispering trees and “stars that twirl in the sky.”

Beti’s parents built the house, which sits in its forest glade like mushroom that sprang up naturally. They appear to live off the land, and each member of the family (except Baby Jac) has chores to see to before play. Beti is a mischievous soul, though well-meaning, and easily distracted. When sent for water, the joy of splashing in the stream leads to upsetting the big jug they use as a cistern. And after picking early-autumn berries for jam, can she be blamed if the basket gets upset while she’s entertaining baby Jac? Four stories take us through the season, each with its pleasures, mandates, and even dangers, but all end with Beti fast asleep, safe and warm in her little round house.

Bottom Line: A lovely snapshot of life in the woods with simple pleasures and loving family.

Stella & Marigold by Annie Barrows, illustrated by Sophie Blackall.

Reading Level: Chapter Book, ages 7-9

Recommended for: Ages 4-8 as a read-aloud, ages 6-10 for independent readers

Stella & Marigold began the day her parents left for the hospital, promising to be back soon with a new baby. That was the day Stella, three years old at the time, became a big sister. Holding tiny Marigold in her arms for the first time, Stella promises to tell her all the secret things she knows.

Of course Mom and Dad taught Marigold important things too. They loved her and took care of her, and Marigold loved them back. But it was Stella who told her secrets. It was Stella who explained the world to her.

As someone with a sister four years older who “explained the world” to me, I can relate. Stella is steady, calm, and patient, a perfect foil for the touchy and excitable Marigold. Stella’s “explanations” are fanciful, but they are just the dose of imagination little sis needs to climb down off a temper tantrum. And Marigold is so devoted she’ll deliberately throw up just so she can share the sick blanket with her ailing sister. The bond between the two is a buffer for life’s little setbacks and may even inspire a vision in young readers of what sisterhood could be.

Bottom Line: A portrait of a sibling relationship that brings out the best in each.

Also at Redeemed Reader:

Reviews: Annie Barrows is the author of The Best of Iggy books, a fun series for lively boys who should learn how not to act on every imaginative impulse.

Reviews: The many excellent books illustrated and/or written by Sophie Blackall include Farmhouse, Ahoy!, Wombat Walkabout, Finding Winnie, and Mr. and Mrs. Bunny, Detectives Extraordinaire.

Reviews: Atinuke’s Africa books include the Anna Hibiscus Series (starred review) and the Too Small Tola series.

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