In this post, we feature award-winning author Sally J. Pla, whose previous titles include The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn, which was a Schneider Family Book Award winner. You can hear her speak about her new illustrated novel, Invisible Isabel, and try her “invitation to imagine” activity. You’ll also find other resources to explore. Thanks for joining us, and let us know what you think in the comments below!
Invisible Isabel
- Written by Sally J. Pla and illustrated by Tania de Regil
- Published by Quill Tree Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Children’s Books
- Release date: July 9, 2024
Isabel Beane is a shy girl who lives in a home full of havoc and hubbub and hullabaloo. With five siblings, there is always too much too much-ness. At school, there’s a new girl who is immediately popular, but she’s also not very nice to one person—Isabel. Isabel has never felt more invisible. She begins to get bombarded by fears, like being abandoned by her classmates and taking the upcoming Extremely Important standardized test. Her fears feel like worry-moths that flutter in her belly. With every passing day, they seem to get stronger and stronger. How can Invisible Isabel make people listen? From award-winning author Sally J. Pla comes a thoughtful illustrated middle-grade novel about an introverted girl who learns to speak up to quiet her worries.
From Invisible Isabel, written by Sally Pla and illustrated by Tania de Regil.
“Many scary what-if worries made Isabel’s heart thump . . . and her stomach churn / with moths. / At least, they felt like moths. / Like buzzing, fluttering worry-moths.”
Click here to view a longer preview of Invisible Isabel, written by Sally Pla and illustrated by Tania de Regil.
Explore Invisible Isabel
Listen to Sally J. Pla talking with TeachingBooks about creating Invisible Isabel. You can click the player below or experience the recording on TeachingBooks, where you can read along as you listen, and also translate the text to another language.
- Listen to Sally J. Pla pronounce her name.
- Sample the ebook of Invisible Isabel on OverDrive.com.
- Sample the audiobook of Invisible Isabel on OverDrive.com.
- Explore TeachingBooks’ collection of activities and resources for Invisible Isabel.
Invitation to Imagine
TeachingBooks asks each author or illustrator on our Virtual Book Tour to share a writing prompt, a drawing exercise, or just an interesting question to spark curiosity and creativity. Enjoy the following activity contributed by Sally J. Pla.
Imagination Activity with Sally J. Pla
Isabel imagines her fears and anxieties as fluttery “worry moths.” If you had to draw one of your very own little “worry moths,” what would it look like? If you gave it a speech bubble, what would it be saying to you? And what do you say to it in return? How would you talk back to your worry moth?
Finish This Sentence . . . with Sally J. Pla
As part of our Virtual Book Tour, TeachingBooks asks authors and illustrators to complete short sentence prompts. Enjoy Sally J. Pla’s response.
“A surprising thing that helps me work is…”
A surprising thing that helps me work is knowing when my brain’s tuckered out and taking a break!
“You may not know that I can…”
You may not know that I can play piano fairly well!
“A favorite question from a young reader is…”
A favorite question from a young reader is: If all your characters from all your books were together around a lunch table, what would they choose to eat, and what would they talk about?
“I hope my book encourages readers to think about…”
I hope that my book may encourage readers to think about treating others sensitively and well. We all have many layers to us. There is no way to know exactly what’s going on inside our friends—or our enemies!
“Where I work is…”
Thank you!
To wrap up this Virtual Book Tour, we thank Sally J. Pla for signing a book for all of us.
More Connections to Sally J. Pla and Invisible Isabel
- Discover books like Invisible Isabel on TeachingBooks.
- HarperCollins’ page about Invisible Isabel, written by Sally J. Pla and illustrated by Tania de Regil.
- Buy Invisible Isabel, written by Sally J. Pla and illustrated by Tania de Regil.
All text and images are courtesy of Sally J. Pla, Tania de Regil, and HarperCollins and may not be used without expressed written consent.
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