Thumb Love

October 4, 2010
With peer, family, and orthodontic pressure bearing down her, Lulu might as well face it: she's addicted to Thumb—"her wonderful, beautiful Thumb." But kicking the habit is a lot harder than she anticipates, especially when the anthropomorphized Thumb is so seductive. "I've missed you so much—meet me behind the couch," she tells it during a moment of weakness. But Lulu sticks to her, um, gums, and while she suffers setbacks, she finally triumphs. And boy, is it worth it: "...nobody would EVER call her a baby again, her teeth were right where they were supposed to be, and she would be able to say ‘She sells seashells by the seashore' as well as anyone." Primavera's fans will find a lot to love in this coming-of-age-story meets 12-step manual ("Step 10: Suggest to your parents that they reward you with money, toys, pets, and lavish vacations if you quit"). And while the illustrations—mostly vignettes—feel a world away from the lavishness of her Auntie Claus series, they make their point with wit, empathy, and frisky color. Ages 4–8.

October 1, 2010

K-Gr 2-Lulu is a contented thumb sucker, but in response to her family's and friends' concerns, she develops a 12-step program that helps her to kick the habit. She spends part of the story torn between those who want her to quit and her anthropomorphic thumb, which pleads with her to continue. She endures comments, snickering, and old peer pressure as she enjoys sucking her thumb. Lulu's turning point occurs after she awakes from a disturbing dream in which she has buckteeth and her "s's" come out as "th's." By the end of the story, she has gained enough confidence to help other kids say good-bye to the habit as well. Colorful cartoon illustrations and occasional speech bubbles complement the amusing text. This humorous story is best suited for kids who have already moved beyond thumb sucking and are ready to laugh about it.-Lisa Glasscock, Columbine Public Library, Littleton, CO

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2010
Preschool-G Dedicated to thumb suckers the world over, this story tells of Lulus addictive relationship with her thumb and how she gave it all up and invented a program with steps to keep her on track and to help others. Although Lulus habit brings tsk-tsking from adults and taunts from children, her thumb reassures her that thumb sucking is the best thing. After a bad dream in which she is bucktoothed and has impaired speech, Lulu begins to doubt that their intense relationship is such a good thing and so founds a 12-step-like program for thumb suckers. Lulu takes the audience through her humorous 12 steps, citing some comical consequences, such as smoke coming out of her ears when trying to follow step 5 (Before going to bed, dip the Thumb . . . in Tabasco sauce). Lightly colored cartoon-style illustrations flawlessly convey the action of the tongue-in-cheek text. Ilene Coopers Jakes Best Thumb (2008) is another sweet tale about a worried thumb sucker.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)