Book Review - Koala Lou



1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Fox, Mem. (1998). Illustrated by Pamela Lofts. KOALA LOU. Voyager. ISBN: 978-0152000769

2. PLOT SUMMARY

In this sweet story about a mother’s love, Koala Lou is the oldest out of all her siblings
and feels overlooked. In order to gain her mother’s attention, she signs up for the Bush
Olympics but comes in second much to her disappointment. However, Koala Lou learns
that her mother’s love is unconditional and it doesn’t matter if she lost or how many
siblings she has, her mother will always be there for her.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The story was set in Australia, a fact that the author reinforces with a koala being the
main character and entering into a competition called the Bush Olympics. The
illustrations in this story were realistic, sharp, and colorful, paired with expressive faces
and body language of the animals. The emotions expressed were obvious and matched
with the story very well. When Koala Lou was happy all her teeth were showing and
when she was sad, her head was down and she was hunched over while walking. The
other animals had similar appearances like when they were cheering with their mouths
wide open and eyes closed.

Since the animals and setting were realistic, most of the colors, while still saturated,
were toned down like the browns, greens, and greys. However, during a few of the
scenes the animals were wearing fancy hats that popped on the page with pinks, blues,
yellows, and reds. They continued to be scattered on the pages through the end of the
story and added a funny element, with the fact animals were wearing hats, and a more
interesting color palette.

The author’s repetition of “Koala Lou, I do love you” provided a fun and easy rhyme to
remember and say during the story. It also reinforces the moral of the story that a
mother’s love is abundant and doesn’t stop when there are more children even if they
forget to say it sometimes.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

KOALA CHILDREN’S CHOICE AWARDS - SHORTLISTED 1999
KIRKUS REVIEW: “This satisfying reworking of a familiar and ever-important theme is
appealingly illustrated--bright colors, soft-edged sculptural forms, precise detail, dozens
of expressive animals.”

5. CONNECTIONS

*Relatable to children with or expecting a sibling(s)
*Other books about parents love with new siblings:
A POCKET FULL OF KISSES, ISBN: 978-1933718408
THE NEW BABY, ISBN: 0307119424

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Book Review - Knight Owl by Christopher Denise

 1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Denise, Christopher. (2022). Knight Owl . Little, Brown and Company. ISBN: 9780316310628 2. PLOT SUMMARY In this story a little owl has dreams of becoming a knight. When knights start disappearing off the castle wall, the little owl signs up to join the guild. He's not the strongest, but he excelled as a student which earns him a post on the Knight's Night Watch. One night, he encounters a hungry dragon and, b eing clever, he persuades the dragon to have some  pizza instead of the owl himself for dinner. The  little owl befriended the dragon, the  disappearances stop, and he earns a great many friends from his  efforts. 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS Christopher Denise tells a story of overcoming obstacles and never giving up on personal dreams. The story of this little owl longing to be a knight teaches perseverance, courage, and friendship. The main character   saw an opportunity to make his dreams come true, and even though it was difficult at tim...
Read more

Book Review - The Three Little Wolves and The Big Bad Pig

  BIBLIOGRAPHY Trivizas, Eugene. (1993). THE THREE LITTLE WOLVES AND THE BIG BAD PIG. Ill. by Helen Oxenbury. Margaret K. McElderry Books an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division. ISBN: 9780689815287 PLOT SUMMARY In this version of the classic tale of The Three Little Pigs, there are three little wolves trying to stop a big bad big pig from blowing down their house. Following the classic storyline, they build three houses, but each one is foiled by the pig. They start with brick, move to concrete, and finally metal, but on each one the pig finds a way to demolish it. The last house the three wolves build is made of flowers and when the pig smells the flowers, he decides he wants to become the big “good” pig. The story ends with the wolves and the pig becoming friends. CRITICAL ANALYSIS The Three Little Wolves and The Big Bad Pig stays true to some elements of the original fable, but diverges from the very beginning. The species swapping creates an interes...
Read more

Book Review - The Lion & The Mouse

  BIBLIOGRAPHY Pinkney, Jerry. (2009). THE LION & THE MOUSE. New York: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN: 9780316013567 PLOT SUMMARY The Lion & the Mouse is an Aesop’s fable retold in pictures. In the book, a little mouse escapes death twice, once by skill and the second by the kindness of a natural predator, a lion. After the lion lets the mouse go, he accidentally springs a trap set up by hunters and gets caught. The mouse hears his distress and chews through the rope to cut him free, forming an unlikely friendship in the process. CRITICAL ANALYSIS The pictures really do paint the story in this retelling of a classic fable. There are very minimal words used throughout the book. The only details he gives through words are the sounds of various animals: the “screech” and “who” of an owl, the “roar” and “grrr” of a lion, the “squeak” and “scratch” of a mouse, and the “putt, putt, putt” of a car driving through the safari. These sparsely used onomatopoeias enhance the apprehens...
Read more