It Began with Lemonade

by Gideon Sterer, Lian Cho (Illustrator)

From New York Times bestselling author Gideon Sterer is an imaginative, colorful tale of making (and selling!) lemonade from life's lemons is not too sour and not too sweet.One scorching hot summer day, a spunky young girl decides to sell lemonade . . . only to find there are too many other young entrepreneurs on her street with the same idea. So she sets off with her lemonade stand and ends up at the river's edge, where she discovers a most unexpected, quirky, and very thirsty clientele.

Genres: Picture Books, Summer, Food, Storytime, Childrens, Animals, Humor

40 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 25, 2021

Reviews

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars -- Delightfully wacky story of a little girl, her lemonade stand, and its increasingly unusual customers.

[Marissa Elera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of bright, silly, happy energy - perfect for a summer day.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring!

This is a wonderful story of how sometimes things are better beyond your current dilemmas. Sometimes things look bleak but when we get to the other side of our problem we see there was something better for us there. A blessing in disguise. Definitely read this with your little ones.

Recommend to teachers, parents, grandparents, and childcare providers.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew I was going to love this book from the moment I looked at the endpapers... adorable! And the rest of the illustrations (and the story) followed suit. A fantastic story of making your own space and finding the sweet in the sour.

[Jess Hannigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved It Began with Lemonade! So, so many little hilarious hidden jokes in the illustrations that you could read it 100 times and still discover something to smile about. The bright lemon yellow jumps off the page and transports you to the quintessential picturesque summertime. To me, the message was that following your heart will lead you to your audience and the appreciation you deserve. A beautiful book!

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet and fun romp! The story will feel relatable to kids but with a great twist, and the artwork is filled with tons of charming and hilarious details for kids to discover-- perfect for re-reading.

[Maggi Rohde · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are magnificent! So many cool creatures.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute and imaginative story about a little girl who wants to sell lemonade on a hot, summer day only to discover that she is not the only one with the idea. As fate will have it - and what seems like bad luck at first - she sets up her stand by a quiet river and soon the thirsty customers come streaming along. She ends up serving customers of all shapes, sizes, and species. By the end of the day, she's feeling quite happy with the results and heads home, to dream bigger dreams for her future.

It Began with Lemonade is such a fun story to read. The illustrations add to the imagination of the story and readers will keep flipping through the pages eagerly to see who the next customer at the lemonade stand will be.

[Pinky · Rating 3 out of 5]

A different location is all that is needed for a little girl to sell her lemonade.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

It Began with Lemonade is a delightful celebration of summer, determination, and the unexpected joys that come from venturing off the beaten path. Written by Gideon Sterer and vibrantly illustrated by Lian Cho, this picture book captures the spirit of resilience and imagination with humor and heart. When a young girl sets out to sell lemonade, she discovers her neighborhood is already crowded with vendors. But instead of giving up, she keeps walking…eventually landing on the banks of a river. After a few comical missteps and moments of doubt, something surprising happens: “from around the bend…came something thirsty.” One boatman becomes many, and soon she’s selling lemonade to a parade of river-dwelling creatures—some fantastical, and all thirsty.

With its whimsical storytelling and message of perseverance, this book gently encourages young readers to stay open to possibility, even when things don’t go as planned. The girl’s journey from disappointment to discovery is both humorous and heartwarming, reminding us that sometimes the most magical opportunities lie just beyond where we expect them.

Lian Cho’s energetic, detail-rich illustrations add charm to every page, making the story feel like a bustling summertime daydream. This book is perfect for reading aloud, sparking imagination, and inspiring little ones to set out on their own creative adventures. It is refreshing and uplifting.A wonderful companion to summertime activities!

[Miloureadsbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first wrote this review for my Instagram @miloureadsbooks
A girl is dedicated to making the delicious lemonade so she can sell it on the street. Her dad even makes her the cutest lemonade stand, with a garland and sunglasses. However, when she goes outside, she sees that everybody had the same idea and that there is no more place for her. So, she keeps walking and walking, and suddenly her cart drives all down the hill, through a forest and stops next to a river. The girl is feeling ‘’terrible as a turnip’’, until her first costumer arrives by boat. From then on, her business is going great and among her clients are bears, mermaids, otters, divers, and sea dragons. When she goes to bed at night, she dreams of her own permanent lemonade stands that she runs with her dad.
It is such a fun and colourful bunch of visitors. I can totally imagine children wanting to draw their own costumers afterwards, creating even more interesting characters. I thought it was so hilarious to see the facial expressions of the lemonade stand throughout this story as well, such a cute detail. All in all, it is a cheerful picture book about perseverance, following your dreams and not taking yourself too seriously.

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a hot day so our young protagonist decides to open a lemonade stand. Once she has everything ready to go, she rolls her cart out onto the street -- which is FULL of lemonade stands (and variations on that theme.) Disheartened, she sets out to find a place for her product, pushing her cart to the top of a hill. Oh no! Her cart runs away! Fortunately, it comes to a stop right beside the river. And then - thirsty things begin to appear! I really enjoyed the expression on the face of the lemon on the lemonade stand. And also the wide assortment of thirsty critters that show up to buy lemonade from our persistent, creative hero.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

"If you've never chased a runaway lemonade stand out of town, through the woods, and across a meadow, it's no fun."

The young girl is ready to sell her lemonade at her stand, but when she wheels her stand outside, there is no room on the street for her. Everyone is selling lemonade. So she wheels her cart up the hill and things go from bad to worse when her cart rolls down the other side of the hill and comes to rest on the riverbank. She's about to give up and cry when "from around the bend ... came something thirsty." Suddenly, she has all kinds of customers coming from the river. See? Sometimes, when life gives you lemons, you can still sell lemonade 😁

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a great read aloud for a kindergarten or 1st grade class, right before summer break. A girl is finally ready to set up her lemonade stand, but everyone has a stand up. As she walks along to find an available spot, her stand rolls away, leading her to a wide open riverbank with an usual stream of customers. Sometimes, you just need a new perspective! A perfect summer read! I would love to see a second book called It Continued with BLANK and a third book called It Ended with BLANK.

[Tiffany S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literally so cute! It made me think of going to lemonade stands when I was a kid, and the cover perfectly illustrates how I thought lemonade stands were as a kid. The fun bright cute artwork, the way that they use the pages and allow for your eyes to move in a gentle wave (diagonally) in some pages, made for a fun experience. I loved seeing the customers that would come for a glass of lemonade :D

[Andrea Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

It Began with Lemonade is delightful! I love that the lemonade stand mimics our narrator's facial expressions. I wasn't sure where this was going to go after the initial disappointment that the whole block was filled with lemonade stands, but, like a well crafted glass of lemonade, the rest of the plot just hit the spot. Fun story!

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's summer and a little girl has an idea that seems to be the same one everyone else in her neighborhood has as well. She must relocate to sell her lemonade and become a successful businesswoman. The customers she meets by the river are thirsty and she fulfills all their orders and dreams of a future with a new lemonade stand by the river.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

LOVE the illustrations. So vibrant and colorful. Adorable story about a little girl who wants to sell some lemonade but there is literally no room for her to set up in any of the streets near her. Then her wagon rolls down the hill and she ends up being set up by the river and gets various customers ranging in size.

[Dannaca · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this for our Summer Foods story time. This is a very vibrantly illustrated book with lots to look at and talk about on each page. It's a fun and imaginative story as well. A young entrepreneur finds herself out of luck selling lemonade on her crowded street and finds some very unique customers by the river instead!

[Emily Fitzpatrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable! A lovely story accompanied by delightfully charming art. Love that it has a message about perseverance & captures the classic pastime of selling lemonade, the perfect book for any young reader this lemonade season :)

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute book about inventive problem solving or working within the confines of the situation. Cheerful, engaging art. Cute overall, but somehow, I was not able to suspend my disbelief to accept all the creatures that showed up to get some lemonade. I wish there were a little more to the story itself.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the good spots on the street for a lemonade stand are taken.
The lemonade stand starts rolling and escapes.
They end up at the river. At first it seems like a bad situation, but then a fisherman comes by in a boat and wants to buy. And then a host of river critters want a drink, too.

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a read aloud book about a girl who creates a lemonade stand and ends up selling to a variety of creatures along a river. While nothing super special, it is a cute story and would be great as a read aloud with little kids.

[Katie MacIver · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun story that would be a great read before summer. The story follows. young girl as she gets the idea to have a lemonade stand only to realize everyone has the same idea. This was a fun story with cool illustrations.

[mariah tipton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve fallen in love with the art and the story of the children’s books featured on the barns and noble website right now. The message in this one is clear that we make plans and have dreams and goals but sometimes there’s a better way we’re not seeing at the end of the big picture.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

eGalley through Edelweiss+

[Sam Falconi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute and funny too. The illustrations are lush and beautiful.

[Bosch Purvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

What amazing illustrations! Story has really fun rhythm and the concept is really fun too.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fun and beautiful and a great addition to the class.

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5