Alice and Mrs. Nobody love getting up to no good. While giving each other fashionable haircuts, belting nighttime duets, or scribbling magic-marker wall murals, the two friends are inseparable. Until the day they disagree on what to play next.
Mrs. Nobody wants Alice to play Puppy. But when Alice pushes back (she was Puppy last time!), she feels the wrath of Mrs. Nobody, who grows bigger and bigger and louder and louder before disappearing altogether.
Although Alice suffers a long, lonely night without the company of Mrs. Nobody, she finds some solace in the sound of her own voice. When Mrs. Nobody reappears the next day, Alice knows what she must say.
This debut picture-book by award-winning novelist and poet Y. S. Lee puts a surprising spin on the concept of setting boundaries — particularly with those closest to us. Readers will find themselves immersed in the fanciful world of Alice and Mrs. Nobody — brilliantly rendered by internationally acclaimed illustrator Marie Lafrance — while delighting in the twists of an imaginary friendship gone awry.
Key Text Features
illustrations
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.6
With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.
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.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
Alice and Mrs. Nobody love getting up to no good. While giving each other fashionable haircuts, belting nighttime duets, or scribbling magic-marker wall murals, the two friends are inseparable. Until the day they disagree on what to play next.
Mrs. Nobody wants Alice to play Puppy. But when Alice pushes back (she was Puppy last time!), she feels the wrath of Mrs. Nobody, who grows bigger and bigger and louder and louder before disappearing altogether.
Although Alice suffers a long, lonely night without the company of Mrs. Nobody, she finds some solace in the sound of her own voice. When Mrs. Nobody reappears the next day, Alice knows what she must say.
This debut picture-book by award-winning novelist and poet Y. S. Lee puts a surprising spin on the concept of setting boundaries — particularly with those closest to us. Readers will find themselves immersed in the fanciful world of Alice and Mrs. Nobody — brilliantly rendered by internationally acclaimed illustrator Marie Lafrance — while delighting in the twists of an imaginary friendship gone awry.
Key Text Features
illustrations
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.6
With prompting and support, name the author and illustrator of a story and define the role of each in telling the story.
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.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
| Published By | Groundwood Books Ltd — Apr 1, 2025 |
| Specifications | 32 pages | 9 in x 10.375 in |
| Keywords | emotions; moods and feelings; conflict resolution; friends and friendship issues; child's perspective; childhood experiences; growing up; imagination; playing pretend and make-believe; playtime; taking turns and sharing; interdependence; competition; compromise; reconciliation; respecting others; Fight Club; Calvin and Hobbes; IF; Drop Dead Fred; |
| Written By |
Y. S. LEE is an award-winning poet and novelist whose first young-adult novel, A Spy in the House, was nominated for an Agatha Award and won the inaugural John Spray Mystery Award. Ying won the 2022 Foster Poetry Prize, and she published her first chapbook, Exit Permit, in 2023. She lives in Kingston, Ontario, with her family, where she is also an organizer with Kingston WritersFest. Mrs. Nobody is Ying's debut picture book. |
| Illustrated by |
MARIE LAFRANCE has illustrated for magazines, newspapers, billboards and boxes of jelly powder, but now she prefers to use her warm and engaging artwork to bring picture books to life. Her books include The Lady with the Books by Kathy Stinson, Gemma and the Giant Girl by Sara O’Leary and The Brass Charm by Monique Polak. Her art has been included in the New York Society of Illustrators Original Art Exhibition, and she has won the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award. Marie lives in Montreal, Quebec. |
| Written By |
|
Y. S. LEE is an award-winning poet and novelist whose first young-adult novel, A Spy in the House, was nominated for an Agatha Award and won the inaugural John Spray Mystery Award. Ying won the 2022 Foster Poetry Prize, and she published her first chapbook, Exit Permit, in 2023. She lives in Kingston, Ontario, with her family, where she is also an organizer with Kingston WritersFest. Mrs. Nobody is Ying's debut picture book. |
| Illustrated by |
|
MARIE LAFRANCE has illustrated for magazines, newspapers, billboards and boxes of jelly powder, but now she prefers to use her warm and engaging artwork to bring picture books to life. Her books include The Lady with the Books by Kathy Stinson, Gemma and the Giant Girl by Sara O’Leary and The Brass Charm by Monique Polak. Her art has been included in the New York Society of Illustrators Original Art Exhibition, and she has won the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award. Marie lives in Montreal, Quebec. |
| Audience | ages 3 to 6 / grades P to 1 |
| Key Text Features | Illustrations |
| Common Core |
CCSS.ELA-LITERACYoks
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.6 |