Lulu and the Duck in the Park

Though written for young children, I thoroughly enjoyed this delightful and well-written short novel. Lulu is a well-rounded girl full of pluck and with a mind of her own. Witness her jumping off swings at their highest point; bruises and scrapes are worth the thrill. Lulu loves animals in an honest, not saccharine way. She believes they have as much right for respect as do humans. Counter this third-grader with her teacher, Mrs. Holiday, who barely tolerates animals, yet realizes their value for her students and allows her class to keep a guinea pig. Mrs. Holiday is a gem in other ways. She puts up with her students complaining about the way she reads "Harry Potter." According to the children, "Hagrid doesn't talk like that!" I love show more how she quiets them with "If you would like me to read a book that has not been made into a movie, I can do that very easily" and picks up the math text. The fact that Lulu goes to the library to find a book on ducks when she finds a duck egg warms this librarian's heart. The scene where Lulu and Mellie witness the egg's hatching in the bathroom is perfectly beautiful in language that is understandable to children, but never trite: "Lulu and Mellie forgot the classroom. They forgot Mrs. Holiday and Harry Potter. They sat on the cold bathroom floor with the hat nest between them, and for a long time all they said was: "Look!" and "Oh!" and "Did you see that?" Move over, Junie B. Jones; Lulu is here! show less

Lulu, who loves every sort of animal, tries to convince her teacher that their class guinea pig needs a companion. Unfortunately, her methods lead Mrs. Holiday to announce that if anyone brings another animal to school, she’ll trade their class pet for a stick insect. When their weekly visit to a nearby park ends in disaster (large dogs running wild and destroying ducks’ nests and eggs), Lulu catches the one remaining egg as it rolls downhill, and she pockets it. All through the school day, she protects the egg and keeps it warm, revealing her secret only to her best friend (and cousin), Mellie. When the egg begins to hatch, though, Lulu finds a powerful, if unexpected, ally.

Lulu, a fervent animal lover, rescues a still-warm duck egg that rolls out of a nest during a class field trip to the park. Her teacher has strictly forbidden Lulu from bringing any more animals to school, but an egg is not an animal . . . right? This early chapter book is sweet and charming, though I didn't love it as much as McKay's Casson series. It fits right in with other early chapter books about precocious young girls like Clementine and Marty McGuire.

[This review has been updated]

Long ago, I reviewed two of the Lulu books for Cybils, but never read the first book. In 2015 I was selecting titles for my new book club and was looking for books that would meet the kids' interests as well as feature more diverse characters and this popped into my head immediately.

In Lulu's first story, we learn that she is known all around town for her love of animals. But her animals get her into trouble because her teacher most definitely does not like animals. When Lulu tries to show her how amazing animals are, she almost loses her class their treasured guinea pig! Now her cousin and best friend AND the whole class is mad at her! But there's no time to think about that, because the class is going on show more their weekly walk through the park and there are ducks to see...but then tragedy strikes. Lulu manages to rescue an egg, but what will happen when it's not an egg anymore? Will her teacher really take their guinea pig away if she discovers it?

Lamont's sweet black and white illustrations show Lulu and her cousin Mellie and their class, noisy, exuberant, and interested in everything around them. There are plenty of cute, fuzzy animals pictured as well. The text is a step up from a very beginning chapter, but still comes in just over 100 pages and at a level a strong 2nd grader or average 3rd grader could easily read.

Lulu isn't quite as idealistic in this first book as she is in the later ones I read; she gets into trouble and has little spats with her cousin. Overall though, this is a feel-good book for any reader who will enjoy Lulu's love of animals and the funny trouble she gets into.

Verdict: This series has been quite popular and I'm sure my book club members who like animal stories will enjoy this, if they haven't already read it. Highly recommended.

Revisited: I still love to recommend these; they haven't been quite as popular with my book club readers as I'd hoped - they are a little too challenging for our lower level readers.

ISBN: 9780807548080; Published 2012 by Albert Whitman; Purchased for the library show less

Note:
I received a review copy from the publisher on Netgalley Thank you!

A charming early reader, perfectly suited to 2nd and 3rd graders who are beyond easy readers but not quite ready for long chapter books. The lovely writing and illustrations, the appealing characters, and the humorous details and plot twists make it a great read aloud, too, which younger children, and their parents, will also enjoy.

So why four stars, instead of five? Well, this is a perfect book, of its kind, but it is definitely a "girl" book. Some boys may enjoy it (I hope so!) but it doesn't quite have the universal appeal of, say, a "Horrible Harry" or a "Wimpy Kid."

That said, I think the book is outstanding, and belongs in every school and library collection. show more We are definitely adding it, and all its sequels, to ours. show less

A sweet story about a very smart young girl who has an enormous fondness for animals and a special friendship with her cousin Melanie who is always there to help and her dog, Sam. A conflict begins, during a class trip to the park, when two black dogs chase ducks and ruin nests but Lulu picks up the last blue duck egg and keeps it hidden with Melanie's help. The duckling hatches, you'll never guess where, along with a warm reunion assisted by the two girls and their teacher. I loved this book filled with beautiful illustrations, an introduction to many characters and of course, good-hearted Lulu!

Big Kid Reaction: Lulu is one of those characters who means well but always seems to get into predicaments. She is sweet and very likable. I love that she's passionate, fun, and a thinker, too. The relationship with Mellie and her classmates also feels authentic. As much as I liked Lulu, Mellie, and her friends, the book didn't grab me. Mrs. Holiday was too much of a caricature (though she does come around); and I thought the pets at school and city park scenes were overdone. All that said, the book is not for me and I think kids will have plenty of laugh-out-loud moments.

Pros: Animal lovers (boys and girls) will see themselves in Lulu. Kids will relate to the humorous classroom moments and keep turning pages to see how everything turns show more out.

Cons: None, really. The author might consider a "don't try this at home" note to readers. Kids may try to collect stray animals - or eggs - because Lulu did it and everything turned out all right.

To read our full review, go to The Reading Tub®. show less