I was given an early read. All opinions are my own
The book begins with Lola tramping in the mud puddles all the way to school so as not to see her reflection. She wears a big red hat that overwhelms her body. The teacher tries to get her to remove her hat so she can see her pretty face...just the thing she doesn’t want to share. A few day later teacher announces picture day. Everyone comes dressed in their best clothes. Lola comes with her hat on. Teacher tries to talk her out of wearing it to pictures. Lola refuses. The kids line up on the risers. Lola and her hat taking up the front row.. Photographer asks Lola to remove her hat she is covering everyone up. Lola refuses. Finally Nessim suggests she can come to the back row beside him there is plenty of room., but alas, this covers the faces too. Meanwhile the photographer asks once more just take the hat off. All the kids in the class have grown weary and shout take the hat off she throws the hat across the floor. Nessim discovers the situation and asks Lola to meet him at the backpacks and they will retrieve a certain color marker and proceed to give everyone freckles to look like Lola. A couple of weeks later they each received their class photo and all exclaimed it was the best class photo ever. Nothing better than showing empathy for a classmate.
Yes I would recommend for classrooms. Shows doing something beyond themselves.

Thanks to the following for giving me an opportunity to review early::
#NetGalley
#ClavisPublishing
#NataliaParuzel-Gibson
#APictureDayToRemember
Publication Date: 07 March 2023
Children’s Fiction

This is a cute story that tackles building self esteem and loving ourselves and our unique features. It’s beautifully illustrated and a great story.

This book discusses insecurities and whether you can relate to the main character in a red hat, or to those in her class, the book models behaviors, reassures emotions, and has a lot of heart. I requested the book because of the visibly Muslim girl on the cover, but was delighted to also see names such as Nassim and Omar in the text it makes the #muslimintheillustrations feel a little less token-y.

I didn't know what the book was about before I read it, and I kind of love that I had no idea why the little girl was wearing an oversized red hat, what the solution was going to be, and what compassion the classmates would be showing- hence I'm not going to spoil it for you here. This book would be great at story time, it is a bit text heavy but I think kids will feel the message and maybe even discuss it without much prompting. I read an e copy and look forward to purchasing this book to have on my shelves.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and publisher for this advanced copy
As someone who grow up in insecurity, the book is a must for kids who lack of confidence.

This was such a cute book! I reviewed this for my book club’s kids group. I love the message it provides on friendship, acceptance, and self-confidence. Well-written and great illustrations. Thanks for the copy.

Thank you to Clavis an NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This is such a cute book with a sweet message about friendship. I thought the illustrations were really cute too. I will definitely be recommending this book to parents who come in the library looking for cute picture bo9ks.

Great example of friendship and helping a friend to feel better and part of a community. Pictures showed diversity.

For those who have insecurities about themselves, this is your book. Always love communities that support each others, because nobody's perfect. And this is also heartwarming to read, and as a reminder that we should be there for our friends.

Lola always wears a giant red hat that covers her face because she is insecure about her looks. On picture day, her class helps her embrace her insecurities and create a unique class picture!
Feeling insecure is not a foreign feeling to anyone. At one point or another, there has been something we wish we could change. Lola is no different in this story, making her a relatable character. Even the insecurity of Lola, is easily relatable. What makes A Picture Day to Remember to stand out is the simple solution to help with Lola’s insecurities (if you want to know what the solution is, read the book!). It shows the value kindness and friendship can have when feeling insecure. If this book had to be summarized in one sentence, it would be; if you can’t beat them, join them!

This was a cutely illustrated book with a good core message. I’m just not sure I like the way we got there. Not a huge fan that for her to accept herself she needed almost approval from her friends. However the idea of the class coming together to make her feel comfortable was very cute.

I really enjoyed this book! Lola is an elementary school student that always skips picture day because she is insecure about her appearance, specifically her freckles. She also wears a big red hat to school every day to cover her face. When she accidentally shows up to school on picture day, her classmates encourage her to show her face. The illustrations were great and the book had a very sweet and encouraging message.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital advanced copy!

A Picture Day to Remember by Natalia Paruzel-Gibson is a clever children’s book to help children to see that having freckles or anything else that makes them feel different. She does it by hiding behind behind a big red hat. Read the book you will love it.

as a shy kid myself back then, i understand that even the smallest difference could make me insecure. that's what Lola felt. she tried to hide her insecurity under her big red hat, until one day her friends helped her overcome those insecurity. a comforting read indeed.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an eARC!

This is a cute story about how a girl likes to hide in her big red hat due to some insecurities with her freckles.. I really like how the book shows what a good friend is, how Nassim had everyone give themselves freckles in the class picture so Lola would not stand out. Overall, this is a very sweet read and shows a great example of friends being there for you.

I was not particularly a fan of the story. While it works out in the end and she’s not wearing her hat the way it came about was not my favorite message. The children were a bit abrasive and she fell to their peer pressure to take off her hat. Then the answer to make herself feel better about her unique feature was to make everyone have them instead of embrassing them otherwise. I would not read this to my class .