Louie Lets Loose!

April 1, 2017
The first in a cheery series for developing readers, this colorful story is a pastry-fueled romp through the cutthroat world of mythological divas-to-be.Louie the Unicorn is bored with his perfect life in Story Land. When an advertisement for the New York School of Performing Arts blows through the forest (rather like a fart), he guilt-trips his parents into giving their blessing, takes a silver rowboat to the Staten Island Ferry, and pursues his dreams of becoming a "supersized New York superstar." After a brief cupcake-and-doughnut diversion, Louie befriends the other fairy-tale creatures at school: mermaid Miranda, Frank the troll (who brings out Louie's troll-related prejudices), and Danny the faun. Louie also hero-worships heartthrob Arnie--who would be happy as the only unicorn in showbiz--and creates an off-site song-and-dance extravaganza despite Arnie's attempts at sabotage. Large text is punctuated by purposely cutesy yet expressive drawings of white people and white-appearing mythological creatures (only one illustration includes two background characters with dark-shaded faces). Many of the drawings are superimposed over city photographs, and red text highlights periodic "B-u-u-rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrp"s, song titles, and emotional outbursts. Louie's tongue-in-cheek enthusiasm is manically upbeat, with an entertaining lack of self-awareness. High-strung young drama queens can find a lot to love in this, and adults forced to read along may chuckle at the campy subtext. (Fantasy. 5-9)

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May 1, 2017

Gr 2-4-Louie the unicorn travels to New York City from his home in Story Land to become the first unicorn superstar. He rooms with a mixed mythical group: Miranda the mermaid, Frank the troll, and Danny the faun. They all attend the same Fame school and become fast friends who work and play together while not so quietly owning their underdog status. Louie is disappointed to learn there is already a handsome unicorn superstar, Arnie. Through trials and tribulations, Louie maintains his charming naivete and innocent optimism. He manages to lead his own show, display his friends' talents, and save the Sunshine Sparkle Dust Cafe in the process. Armelles's clever grayscale and red illustrations layer against photographs and cartoons and complement Hamilton's quirky story. Though on the whole this beginning chapter book is entertaining, young American readers may be bemused by the British humor and the title's length, while older readers may find the subject matter too young for their tastes. VERDICT An additional purchase for large chapter book collections.-Lindsay Persohn, University of South Florida, Tampa

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