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CollectionAges 3–7Picture Books

The Girl and the

A universe by Hollie Hughes

A lyrical, beautifully illustrated picture-book series about a girl, magical creatures, friendship, loneliness and imaginative wonder.

  • Series

    1
  • Books

    2
  • Best for

    3–7
  • Status

    Ongoing

At a glance

Primary creator
Hollie Hughes
First book
The Girl and the Dinosaur · 2020
Tone
Gentle, Warm, Whimsical, Heartwarming
Overall sensitivity
Low

The shape of it

The shape of this universe.

The Girl and the... is Hollie Hughes and Sarah Massini's lyrical picture-book franchise about a child whose imagination opens into magical, creature-led friendship. The current seeded books pair a girl first with a dinosaur and then with a mermaid, using poetic language and soft, expansive illustration to explore loneliness, longing, courage, family and wonder. These are not gag-led or heavily plotted books; they are atmospheric read-alouds for children who enjoy gentle magic, beautiful pictures and the feeling that play can make an impossible friend feel real.

A lyrical, beautifully illustrated picture-book series about a girl, magical creatures, friendship, loneliness and imaginative wonder.

Primary themes

Tone palette

  • Gentle
  • Warm
  • Whimsical
  • Heartwarming

The series

One way in.

Cultural footprint

A shelf of evidence.

Cultural ubiquity

2/ 5

A working classic for readers in the know.

Sensitivity

Low, and collection-wide.

LowCollection-wide

Across the collection

All 2 books.

About the creator

Hollie Hughes.

Hollie Hughes

Author

Hollie Hughes: British author of The Girl and the Dinosaur and The Girl and the Mermaid (with Sarah Massini on art) — gentle, rhyming picture books about loneliness and imagination for ages 3–6.

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