Louanne Pig in Making the Team

November 1, 1985
K-Gr 2-Carlson's Louanne Pig series is illustrated with childlike, brightly colored, one-dimensional drawings, most of which are inset on the page with a few bottom lines of text. In Mak ing the Team, awkward Louanne tries out for the cheerleading squad while her agile friend Arnie goes out for the football team, despite the fact that both are terribly unsuited for those sports. Louanne tries to track down the secret admirer who mailed her a valentine in The Mysterious Valentine, and one by one she discounts the possibilities. Her changing facial expressions provide much of the humor, and the clue which escapes Louanne will not elude listen ers. In The Perfect Family, Louanne, an only child, gladly moves in for the weekend with her friend George the rabbit and his five sisters and four brothers. She suffers various indigni ties of life in a large family before real izing that her small family is perfect for her. This book is the most visually in teresting of the three, with two double- page illustrations and many clever, de tailed caricatures of the rabbit household. A series well suited forstorytelling to young children and as read-alone material for slightly older readers.Yvonne A. Frey, Peoria Pub lic Library, Ill.