Gloria Bee's big picture day

A young girl is poised to paint, but she can't find her heirloom paintbrush in Hawthorne's illustrated children's book. There are many words to describe Gloria B. Wilson: enthusiastic, adventurous, dedicated, and most of all, artistic. She loves to paint scenes from her everyday life with her favorite brush, which has been passed down by female painters in her family for several generations. Without it, she doesn't feel that she can make art at all. One day, Gloria is ready to complete her at-home art gallery when she realizes she's lost the heirloom art tool: "How in the WORLD am I going to create my art and finish my gallery if I don't have my favorite paintbrush?" she frets. It isn't long until she concocts a plan to take her trusty camera and her pet dog (named Dog) around town, retracing her steps as she searches for the lost item. She investigates a bird's nest, a hill, and a marina; as she explores, young readers will enjoy spotting the paintbrush in illustrator Van Fossan's painterly backgrounds, always just beyond Gloria's notice. It may be hidden in a bird's nest, for example, or in the clutches of a shiny red crab. The protagonist's quest ends unexpectedly with a touch of tongue-in-cheek humor that hints that her adventures aren't over yet. She effectively learns that a lot of good can come from a bad situation and that her artistic powers are not diminished by the lack of her usual tool. This is a story that relies heavily on the illustrations, which feature plot points that the text doesn't, such as Gloria's losing the paintbrush because she was playing fetch with Dog. Van Fossan's cartoon art style echoes that of a child's with some refinements, much like Gloria's own art. Gloria is depicted with brown skin; the few other human characters, in a photo or in person, have a range of skin tones. A fun, layered work with a gentle message about learning artistic flexibility. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.