• Age: 3 to 8
• Grade: p to 3

Jillian doesn't have any money to buy her little sister Rebecca a birthday present. Her best friends Peter and Rachel remind Jillian that the best presents are the ones that you make. Suddenly, Jillian has an idea. They'll put on a show! The trio create a story and make a set and costumes. As they rehearse, the guests arrive and want to be part of the play. As the cast keeps growing Jillian must think up new parts — including a Queen, a two-headed dragon, and a chorus of pigs. Everyone is so caught up in their roles that they don't even notice when Rebecca walks in on their rehearsal and asks, “Jillian, Jillian, let me play too.” Rebecca is thrilled to be the star, but now there's another problem. With everybody performing, who will watch the show” Jillian's ingenuity once again leads her and her friends into an entertaining adventure. Phoebe Gilman's wonderful rhyming text and playful illustrations will have readers shouting “Encore, Encore!”

PHOEBE GILMAN, la créatrice tant appréciée de la collection Lili Tire-bouchon, est aussi la plume derrière les livres primés Un merveilleux petit rien!, Les trésors de Lili Tire-bouchon, L’hippopotame bleu et L’arbre aux ballons. Elle est décédée en 2002.

Pheobe Gilman was the beloved creator of the Jillian Jiggs (Lili Tire-bouchon) series as well as the award-winning Something from Nothing (Un merveilleux petit rien!), The Gypsy Princess, Pirate Pearl, Little Blue Ben, The Balloon Tree (L'arbre aux ballons), and Grandma and the Pirates. She passed away in 2002.

Phoebe Gilman's profile page

• Commended, Canadian Toy Testing Council, Great Books of the Year
• Commended, Canadian Children's Book Centre, Our Choice
• Commended, Resource Links, Best of the Year

” — a delightful story?” (City Parent) — “highly recommended as a storybook and as an activity manual” (Children's Book Review Annual)