“It will be a day filled with surprises,” Alice Babette thinks. “Alice’s first surprise was that there was NO surprise. Her friend Gertrude didn’t even say happy birthday.” Alice spends the day walking around Paris on her own. Meanwhile, Gertrude is planning a special, surprise meal for Alice, even though she can’t cook. She’s also writing Alice a poem, about a rose, and loses all track of time. An imagined story about Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein is full of whimsy— and smoke! Alice returns home to a mess. But when Gertrude later reads the poem aloud, Alice loves it. The characters may be adults but everything in this story has child appeal, from the back-and-forth movement between Alice’s and Gertrude’s separate adventures throughout the day to the spirited writing to the charm of their distinctive personalities and the obvious fondness between them. Blithe pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations are a perfect accompaniment. An author’s note does not explicitly state the two women were partners, instead noting that they “lived together for almost forty years.” (Ages 4–8)

It's Alice's birthday! A beautiful spring afternoon in Paris -- what could be better? Little does she know that her friend has arranged some surprises!

It's Alice's birthday! But her friend Gertrude seems to have forgotten. No matter, Alice goes out and enjoys her day just the same. A beautiful spring afternoon in Paris -- what could be better? Little does she know that her dear friend has a few surprises up her sleeve.

While Alice spends the day walking around Paris -- riding a carousel in the park and watching a puppet show -- Gertrude turns her attention to the kitchen. She is determined to make a lavish dinner with all of Alice's favorite things and write a poem to match the occasion.

But the lure of the perfect poetic line proves to be too distracting, and just as Alice's day takes an exciting and unexpected turn, Gertrude's big dinner falls all to pieces. The poem turns out beautifully, of course, but the house is a bit of a mess. It's a good thing Alice doesn't mind cleaning up. And that she has such a good brownie recipe for their guests.

Inspired by the lives of artist Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, Monica Kulling's warm and whimsical narration is perfectly balanced by Qin Leng's bright and energetic illustrations. This is a sweetly joyful story of love, friendship and creative inspiration.

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7
With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.