OLA Blue Spruce Award, 2010, Long-listed, When Stella Was Very, Very Small.
QWF Award for Children's Lit, 2009, Short-listed, When Stella Was Very, Very Small.

The charming illustrations, rendered in watercolour, pastel and collage, depict red-headed Stella's antics in great detail and from a variety of perspectives. Young readers will wish they could be just like Stella, or at least have a big sister like her. Stella is both wonderful and full of wonder - purely glorious.
- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

In this eighth book in the [Stella and Sam] series, Gay has lost none of the spirit and humour that has distinguished her earlier books...This new one demonstrates her sure touch with both watercolour pictures and text...[and] is rich in sensory experiences from the perspective of the small...
- Quill & Quire, starred review

[A] delightful series...Gay's mixed-media scenes dance...Subtle and sweet, yet full of life and humor, [Stella's] world is a place kids will want to visit again and again.
- School Library Journal, starred review
Gay is an expert at picture books and seems to crawl right into a preschooler's psyche...the child's perspective in space, her interpretation of the world...are all wrapped up in a few vivid images...[F]or the adult who shares these books with children, there's a secret pleasure in the rightness and lightness of Gay's vision.
- Toronto Star
Stella's dynamic world and big sister charisma will pay off for fans of the gentle series.
- Publishers Weekly
If you've ever wondered how Stella got so imaginative, wonder no more...Enchanting overhead views subtly drive home how being small makes the world seem big, and young listeners will feel encouraged to laugh at their own past foibles.
- Booklist
With Stella, Gay encourages us to see the world a little bit differently and to take notice of the wonder in everyday life.
- Children's Book News
Since the publication in 1999 of Stella, Star of the Sea, we've hung on [Stella's] every word, following the wisdom she shares with her younger brother, Sam...Fans of this duo will love the new volume, and those who are discovering Stella for the first time will be eager to check out the rest of the series.
- Montreal Gazette
It is a book that the littlest book lovers will return to again and again.
- Winnipeg Free Press
Gay's books are ones that little ones and parents like to read over and over, for their gentle and clever stories and dialogue, as well as for the wonderfully wry and lovely artwork.
- Halifax Chronicle-Herald
[Children] will be delighted to hear Stella's reminiscences and will identify with her joy in sharing her big sisterly 'knowledge' with Sam.
- CM Magazine
...Marie-Louise Gay has once again created a jewel of a book.
- Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Review
Marie-Louise Gay never fails to delight...
- Globe and Mail