Bella and the Lost Ball

Katerina Svozilova is an author of children’s books and an illustrator. She lives with her artist husband in a little house on the edge of the forest. They have a parrot called Oscar and several cats. Deer and hares graze in our garden, which is also visited by foxes, jays and spotted woodpeckers. As mother to four children and grandmother to two grandkids, she gets plenty of inspiration.Mag Takac was born into the family of a painter and a graphic designer, so perhaps she had no choice but to follow in their footsteps . . . She likes most to illustrate books with animals and children in the main roles. It gives her great joy to watch kids’ eyes light up with delight as they turn the pages of a book she's worked on.

Selected for the CBC’s 2022 October Hot Off The Press Reading List"The cute pictures are emotive and colorful. I like that the story shows children the different ways to describe things and how easy it is to be confused. I especially like that Bella was able to find the ball herself in the end." ―Youth Services Book Review"This is a very cute story with a topic little ones will recognize – the search for a lost toy! The illustrations are lovely and bring the story to life throughout with the adorable Bella and animals appearing on each page. The message around how to find things you have lost is also helpful, as children may think back to where they last played with the toys they are missing. BELLA AND THE BALL is an adorably fun story about searching for a lost toy that will resonate with young readers." ―YA Books Central"This is such a cute story! I love the repetitiveness as Bella asks the different animals whether they have seen her ball, adding another descriptive term each time. And it’s so funny to see all the mistaken things they lead her to as they try to find something that matches her description. Adorable! —Luminous Libro"Bella and the Lost Ball" is a good story. Continuously builds a sense of anticipation looking for Bella's ball. Bella improves her description of the ball with every not-a-ball found item. The artwork is nice watercolor realistic cartoon style. This could be part of a lesson on "using your words" or on "describing items accurately, with a lot of detail". I think it would make a perfect read-aloud and should work well in reading circles." ―D. K. Warwick, Rhode Island