Illustrations – Jemima Trappel
When Nelly gets annoyed with her four year old sister Alice for calling her ‘Nelly Jelly’ and embarrassed that her friend Hannah is there to hear it, Nelly impulsively grabs her sister’s favourite doll and throws it in the air. It gets stuck way up high in a tree and Nelly is forced to confront her deepest, darkest fear, a fear she’s kept secret until now. She is afraid of heights. Will she decide to be brave and overcome the soggy, sticky and squishy things in her way or will she let her fear win?
Hannah is a good friend, using empathy by telling stories to Nelly about situations where her Nana felt the same way to distract Nelly from her fear. The book was full of terrible jokes and puns but young children may find them funny. I would have loved to have read the part where Nelly apologises to Alice for throwing her ‘best friend’ into a tree but it didn’t happen.
This book shows children that by using perseverance and determination you can overcome obstacles and conquer your fears. Hannah and Alice both encourage Nelly as she climbs and celebrate her accomplishment with her. It’s a nice story but I don’t think it will stay with me, unlike some other children’s books I’ve read recently.
The illustrations by Jemima Trappel are really cute and I liked that there was a small picture at the beginning of each chapter showing what the doll experiences in that chapter.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wombat Books for the opportunity to read this book.
Once Upon a Blurb
There’s only one thing that Nelly dislikes more than jelly, and that’s heights. In fact, she’s terrified of high places!
But when she has to climb the magnificent tree to rescue her younger sister’s doll, Nelly has to not only face her greatest fear but a series of unexpected … soggy … squishy … and sticky things.
Join Nelly Jelly and her friends for what will be a hilarious, fun and GROSS adventure up into the magnificent tree.
Schizanthus Nerd 