Review: Ella Has A Plan by Davina Hamilton, illustrated by Elena Reinoso
Tonight is mummy's birthday and the party is in full swing. Everyone's excited except for Ella, whose mind can't stop whirring. Moany cousins Taye and Jade, with their non-stop arguing, are ruining the family get-together, and Ella's not sure how to fix it. With a few tips from her elders, will Ella finally hatch a plan to reconcile this troublesome twosome once and for all?
Ella Has A Plan is Davina Hamilton and Elena Reinoso's third offering from their picture book series, which launched with Riley Can Be Anything in 2017. The aim of the series is to inspire and fill children with confidence while helping them to work through common problems encountered in their daily lives.
This latest book focuses on problem-solving and conflict resolution while positioning a resourceful caring Black girl as the main protagonist. Refreshingly it also celebrates an intergenerational Black family devoid of grief and trauma, which goes a long way towards addressing positively the lack of diverse ethnic/cultural representation in children's literature.
I love that as well as new characters family members from the previous books are carried over, providing continuity. For example, Ella first featured in Riley Knows He Can where her kind-hearted nature compelled her to offer reassurance to Riley, her younger brother. Riley, Dad, Joe, Uncle Ted, and Uncle Baz all pop up in Ella's story and my son particularly enjoyed identifying the family members, using the helpful character image bank in the end pages.
The thoughtfully composed text is built on rhyming couplets with variable success, although this is a huge technical feat to pull off well. Great Grandad Frank's flashback to events back home is a wonderful addition that brings another dimension although we never get to hear his satisfying punchline. His section of rhyming dialogue is particularly effective and would work well read aloud in a chosen Caribbean accent.
Due to the story's length and content, it is best suited to storytime with children in KS1/year 3, who could be encouraged to discuss whether Ella's decision to spike people's drinks is a helpful solution, and consider what they might have done differently if they were in her shoes.
The text layout is greatly improved from earlier books in the series. The larger book format allows for more balance between the dense text and Reinoso's colourful spreads, which feel a little flatter in texture. Reinoso's fabulous attention to detail in her depiction of Black skin colour and hairstyles, including braids, cornrows, headwraps, natural 'fros, and Bantu knots, adds a real sense of cultural authenticity and variety.
This highly entertaining lighthearted story, oozing familial love and warmth, will be enjoyed by young children especially those who know the preceding Riley books. I'm intrigued to see what comes next in this joyful multigenerational series.
Ella Has A Plan is due for release on 3rd October 2020.
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