Mrs. Nobody

A review of Mrs. Nobody by Y.S. Lee

Published on March 12, 2025

Reflecting on the sensitive and eager minds of children, Rachel Carson wrote in 1956 in the introduction to The Sense of Wonder that, “If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children, I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life…”

Mrs. Nobody
Y.S. Lee
Illustrated by Marie Lafrance

House of Anansi
$21.99
cloth
32pp
9781773068367

In Mrs. Nobody, a fairy figure by the titular name looms large. She is a delightfully unbridled shapeshifter living in the imagination of her real-world friend, Alice. When Mrs. Nobody is satisfied, she appears as a beautiful flower. When displeased, a fire-breathing dragon.

Imaginary friends have long populated the pages of children’s books, most famously, Christopher Robin’s Pooh or Calvin’s Hobbes. In their imagination, children can find a companion tuned into their emotional needs, who may help them develop coping strategies for difficult situations or make long, lonely summer vacations more bearable. Yet these fantasy folks can also embody a critical inner voice.

Most of the time, Mrs. Nobody and Alice have great fun together. They draw with markers on the walls and climb trees. They play a game called “puppy.” They are no strangers to the gifts of natural beauty and wonder. But Mrs. Nobody can also be a bully, as Alice discovers when she refuses to play puppy according to Mrs. Nobody’s unbending rules. When Alice says “No,” Mrs. Nobody screams and shouts. Alienated from her friend, Alice must learn to trust her feelings.

Author Y.S. Lee has crafted a unique tale of budding independence and conflict resolution. Paired with fanciful illustrations in the signature style of Marie Lafrance, Mrs. Nobody grants Carson’s wish for an enduring and indestructible sense of wonder among children.mRb

Meaghan Thurston is a Montreal-based arts and science writer, co-editor of the anthology With the World to Choose From: Seven Decades of the Beatty Lecture at McGill University, and mother to two budding readers.