Liliana the Strong
by Quentin Blake, illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark
Interest age: 4 to 5
Reading age: 4+
Published by Two Hoots, 2025
About this book
Liliana has a bad cold and is feeling weak. To cheer her up, her mother reminds her of the many strong feats she’s performed: carrying a piano upstairs, stopping a runaway steamroller – even throwing a beached whale back out to sea!
Her parents give her some iron bars to bend, and this perks Lilian right up. Soon, she’s back to her super-strong self.
You don’t see little girls carrying bulls or piles of suitcases every day. But this is normal for Liliana, and the casual acceptance of her super strength makes this story a delight.
In every instance that her mother lists, she’s helping someone, from little old ladies to farmers to removal men. This inclination to be of use, and the gorgeous illustrations, combine to create an utterly charming book.
Interestingly, most of the text is in the mother’s voice, encouraging her daughter back to health, and the final two spreads have no text at all, which gives the readers licence to discuss what is happening.
A collaboration between the incomparable Quentin Blake and the award-winning Emma Chichester Clark with the feel of a future classic.
About the author
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On the Move: Poems About Migration
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