Loula and the Sister Recipe

July 15, 2014
Annoyed by her triplet brothers, Loula begs her parents for a little sister and learns that making a baby is like making a cake-you need just the right ingredients. A coy list follows: One needs a full moon, chocolate, butterflies, a candlelit supper, kisses and hugs. Such saccharine winking occurs above the heads of little listeners, who might squint befuddled for just a moment, but, quick as lightning, Loula dashes off with her gallant and ever accommodating chauffeur, Gilbert, to gather up the necessary items. Loose watercolor-and-pen-and-ink illustrations sit softly within clouds of white space, their washes of color and lines assured while uninhibited, befitting this delightful story in which a child's flights of fancy and fantasy drift along happily unchecked. Gilbert, a long, lean string bean of a man, often bows toward little Loula, listening intently and deferentially following her (misguided) instructions. The pair's moonlit dinner seems a bust, until a hungry hound turns up to both gobble up the meal and serve as the sister Loula's always wanted-even though he's a mister.Children yearning for a reversal of authority, or at least for an adult to go along with their brand of make-believe, will nod approvingly and smile often at Loula's confounding cookery. (Picture book. 3-6)

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October 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 1-Stuck with hellion triplet brothers who exclude her from their rowdy games, Loula dreams of having a sister who'd appreciate gentler pursuits. When she asks her parents for a new sibling, they hem and haw and tell her that "making a sister...it's like making a cake." According to them, the process requires the perfect ingredients-butterflies in the stomach, a candlelit supper, kisses and hugs, and a mama and papa. Encouraged, intrepid Loula ropes the family chauffeur into helping her acquire the necessary items. Her efforts pay off, though not quite in the way she expected. Instead of producing a sister, Loula's moonlit feast attracts a huge stray that, despite being a "mister," turns out to be the perfect companion for the little girl. Villeneuve's dainty ink lines awash with soft watercolors dance off the page, as exuberant as little Loula. Many small details, such as Loula tottering in her mother's heels across the verso or her pink toy cat, add extra humor and charm to this sweet and funny story. Though young readers might miss the joke behind the "sister recipe," they are sure to be amused by Loula's whimsical antics and relate to her need to find that perfect friend.-Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, formerly at Chappaqua Library, NY

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