The Invisible Stone: A Letter to a Powerful Girl - Carola Schmidt - ★★★★

AUTHOR: Carola Schmidt

ILLUSTRATOR: Dian Ovieta

GENRE: Children's Inspirational Book.

PUBLICATION DATE: February 6, 2026

RATING: 4 stars.

In a Nutshell: An inspirational picture book aimed at young girls. Nice uplifting message, fabulous illustrations. A bit too vague, but this can also work to its advantage. Recommended.

As the cover indicates, this is a “letter to a powerful girl”. Addressed directly to the young girl reading the book, the content offers a motivating note about how to tackles the various stones that life may throw in their path.

I found the tagline quite interesting. The adjective “powerful” is a minor addition but a major game-changer in that line. It highlights how even confident children can face hurdles on their way. At the same time, it serves as a reminder that the little reader is powerful, whether they believe it or not.

As far as messages go, the content is obviously as expected. But there are a couple of things that set this book apart. For one, the content is written in a very abstract manner. Rather than mentioning any specific challenge, the text talks about everything in general. This makes the book super-flexible for use in any situation, whether for things as mild as difficult homework and friendship troubles or as hefty as serious illness or parental separation.

Further, it talks about not just visible hurdles but also invisible obstructions. Or as the title calls it, the “invisible stones”. This is an important concept for little ones to understand, but it might be a bit too tricky for younger readers to grasp on their own. Parental guidance ought to work wonders. 

My favourite part was the line that came on page 20 – that kind of gaslighting happens so often in real life that I loved seeing that affirmation here!

Given the content, the book actually could work well for girls and boys. But as the central character in the illustrations is a girl and the entire text is addressed to girls, the audience gets restricted. Using the word ‘child’ could have widened the scope of this book, because the message is definitely something every child needs to hear regardless of their gender.

The language in the book is mostly straightforward. There are a couple of tough words, but none so complex as can't be explained. The sentence structuring could have worked better for me, but it is not a major issue given the value of the content. The textual content never overpowers the page; rather, it fits seamlessly around the graphics, with the variations in font size, colour and alignment creating a wonderful sense of motion even in the text.

The illustrations are utterly charming, and really elevate the impact of the text. The little girl and her dog are adorable, with their cute expressions stealing the show. I also loved the depiction of the challenges – such a beautiful blend of the real and the magical. The warm colour tones are perfect as every page seems to glow bright.

Definitely recommended to little girls aged 6-10, though it ought to work for older children too. I think mothers who are reading this alongside their little girls will also find some value in the words. It can also work as a support resource for classrooms and sessions on self-esteem and perseverance.

My thanks to author Carola Schmidt and Blackberry Book Tours for providing me with a complimentary copy of “The Invisible Stone”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.