Fox, Mem. KOALA LOU. Ill. by Pamela Lofts. Melbourne: Ian Drake Publishing, 1988. ISBN 0152000763
A young koala loves to hear how her mother loves her. When baby brothers and sisters come along mother's attention must be divided among all the children and leaves Koala Lou feeling left out. She comes up with a plan to gain her mother's attention from her mother. Even though her plan doesn't go her way she still receives the reward she was initially seeking - her mother's reassurance of love.
Mem Fox's book KOALA LOU is mostly a sweet story with simple text and story line written to assure children parents love them even if they are sometimes too busy to say it.
The book is set in the Australian bush but doesn't overwhelm the reader with terms that would cloud the true message of the book. The text combined with Pamela Loft's detailed yet soft illustrations create a fantastic opportunity to teach about the landscape, plants and animals of Australia. "SHE would enter the Bush Olympics! She would compete in the gum tree climbing event,..." face a page with a gum tree, owl and a lizard. The most colorful page shows so many native animals ready for the Bush Olympics. Many of the animals are wearing hats in honor of the occasion.
My son read the book and was fascinated by the animals illustrated throughout the book. He was also sure Koala Lou would win her event at the Bush Olympics.
The text and illustrations combine factual information about Australia and a fanciful story of talking animals for younger children. Children may be excited when they hear the reference to the kookaburra because they may have heard the song about it.
HORN BOOK - "A first-rate choice for bedtime, story hour, or reading aloud."
KIRKUS REVIEWS - "Another winning import from one of Australia's favorite authors."
Check out the Kookaburra Song - http://www.kiddyhouse.com/Songs/Kookaburra.html
Teach children about Australian animals and the gum tree, also known as a eucalyptus tree.
Read HUNWICK'S EGG by Mem Fox.
ISBN 9780152163181
No comments:
Post a Comment