Rosie and the Wedding Day Rescue
With her fingerprint powder and binoculars, Rosie Anderson is more interested in becoming a detective than wearing dresses and throwing flower petals. But when her favorite babysitter, Greta, asks her to be in her wedding as a flower girl, Rosie says yes despite some reservations. Rosie overcomes her nervousness and starts to have fun when she makes friends with the other two flower girls and puts on her beautiful dress. When things start to go wrong on the day of the wedding, the three girls come together to save the day.
In Rosie and the Wedding Day Rescue, author Lynelle Woolley depicts Rosie with a particularly realistic range of emotions. When Rosie’s choice for a flower girl dress is not chosen, for instance, her “heart sinks to the bottom of her rainboots,” and she doubts her ability to be a good flower girl. Feeling some insecurity and awe when the other flower girls help to solve problems that come up on the big day, Rosie worries that she “is the only flower girl that hasn’t helped the bride.”
However, Rosie uses her logical detective skills to help find the groom’s ring when it goes missing, and learns to value herself and her own unique abilities in a moment that can hopefully teach readers to do the same.
A short chapter book for ages six to nine, the story moves along at the perfect pace to keep young readers engaged. Illustrator Karen Wolcott brings a style to Rosie and the Wedding Day Rescue that is similar to the work she’s created for Barbie titles. Her cute, brightly colored cartoon illustrations complement Woolley’s story.
Rosie’s nervousness is one of several realistic elements that attempt to ground the book in reality, as is the depiction of a stressed-out bride. But the book does glamorize the flower girl position. Rosie and her friends even perform a somewhat clichéd friendship song on stage at the wedding.
With Rosie and the Wedding Day Rescue, Woolley celebrates the importance and accomplishment of being a special friend to a bride on her wedding day.
Reviewed by
Alicia Sondhi
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
