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Summary
Summary
Loula has had ENOUGH of her TERRIBLE triplet brothers. She's leaving home and going to Africa! Though her quirky parents are too distracted to pay much attention to her plans, Loula has a good friend in the family chauffeur, Gilbert, who gently inquires, "Mademoiselle, may I ask, why Africa?" "Because!" Loula explains. "Africa is far away, very far away, the farthest away I can get from my MEAN, HORRIBLE, STINKY brothers. Plus they are scared of snakes. And if they come, piranhas will eat them." "Well then," says Gilbert, "I think Africa is the best destination." So together, with the help of their imaginations, Loula and Gilbert travel over the sand, through the air and across the water to reach their own special island of Africa. Which, Loula happily discovers at the end of the day, is "not so far away" from home. Award-winning Anne Villeneuve has created a lovable and memorable character in the irrepressible Loula, who enchants and inspires with her spunk and the unique way she approaches the challenges in her life. Villeneuve's artwork, loosely drawn and painted warmly with watercolors, is both witty and charming, just like her character. This is a wonderful story about independence and adventure that also offers a heartwarming example of the important role a caring adult can play in a child's life. It provides a terrific opportunity to discuss dealing with feelings and how to be resourceful when faced with things that are out of your control.
Author Notes
Anne Villeneuve has written and illustrated close to 40 books, created games for magazines, illustrated for newspapers and designed cake boxes for a bakery. Over the years, her work has earned her many distinguished recognitions, such as the Governor General's Literary Award and the Québec/Wallonie-Bruxelles Literary Award in 2000, the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award in 2005 and 2009, and the Mr. Christie's Book Award in 1998.
Anne Villeneuve has written and illustrated close to 40 books, created games for magazines, illustrated for newspapers and designed cake boxes for a bakery. Over the years, her work has earned her many distinguished recognitions, such as the Governor General's Literary Award and the Québec/Wallonie-Bruxelles Literary Award in 2000, the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award in 2005 and 2009, and the Mr. Christie's Book Award in 1998.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-Villeneuve has created a sensitive tale about running away from home. Feeling neglected and ignored, Loula is sitting in a tree with her three favorite possessions and is happy to be away from her "mean, horrible, stinky" brothers. When Gilbert, the family's chauffeur, sees her, he looks up and asks, "What are you doing up in a tree?" She replies, "This is not a tree. This is AFRICA!" What follows is an afternoon of imaginary travel across oceans, jungles, deserts, and restaurants that serve grasshopper sandwiches and ostrich egg souffle. After Gilbert leads her to a little island in the park that they pretend is Africa, they watch the sunset, and then a sleepy Loula is carried back home. The ink and watercolor illustrations have the classic look of Ludwig Bemelmans's "Madeline" series (Viking). Read this title as a part of travel- or siblings-themed storytimes.-Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, AB, Canada (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Loula's brothers-"mean, horrible, stinky" triplets-have pushed her too far. She announces that she's taking off for Africa; her theatrical parents merely smile. Only the family's chauffeur, Gilbert, understands what Loula really needs, and he squires her through a glorious afternoon of make-believe. "Mademoiselle, look! What luck! Here is a restaurant. Which would you prefer," he says, offering her cotton candy and an ice cream cone, "Ostrich egg souffle or a grasshopper sandwich?" They cross the desert (he carries her through a sandbox), go for a camel ride (bouncy playground ducks), and take a paddleboat to a remote island ("It is so quiet," Loula says contentedly, as they share a cup of "tea" and admire the setting sun). Villeneuve's (The Red Scarf) ink-and-watercolor vignettes have a deliciously swoopy lightness of touch. Somehow, that Loula is the daughter of rich parents with a chauffeur to drive her around does not rankle; it's all part of the fancy. The afternoon she and Gilbert share has the innocent sweetness of a '30s film romance, right to the moment he carries the sleeping explorer into the house. Ages 4-7. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Fed up with her brothers, a girl announces that she's "going to Africa." She gets no reaction from her preoccupied parents, but the family's chauffeur plays along: together they decide that some kids on a climbing structure are chimpanzees, a sandbox is the desert, etc. The light-as-a-feather watercolors are a terrific storyteller, conveying Loula's rage and loneliness and the chauffeur's humanity. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Loula seethes. Sick of three ugly brothers and ignored by dotty parents, she sets out for Africa, making it only as far as the tree in the front yard until Gilbert (the family chauffeur) arrives to assist her on an imaginative safari. Much feels familiar here: an affluent, plucky girl with an upturned nose and a doting servant (Eloise, anyone?). A round-brimmed straw hat calls to mind a spunky French girl (bonjour, Madeline!). It's Gilbert, long-legged and lanky in high-waisted trousers, driving cap and bow tie, that makes this story special, sweet and lasting. His elaborate game of pretend, one that turns a city playground into the jungle, desert and rivers of Africa, reveals an utter devotion not only to little Loula, but also to make-believe. "Mademoiselle, please! Don't put your hand in the water! Piranhas!" he cautions urgently. Gestural ink-and-watercolor illustrations evoke the fantastic fluidity of the imagination, and crisp, copious white space suggests its limitlessness. Yellows and blues appear frequently, making this sunny adventure even sunnier. When Loula and Gilbert reach their destination (a tiny park island) at sunset, the dark squiggly cloud that hovered above Loula's head on each previous page dissipates in a miniexplosion of elation. A paean to imagination and an artful acknowledgment of children's needs and frustrations, leavened with poignancy and humor. (Picture book. 2-6)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Disgusted with the chaos created by her younger triplet brothers, Loula packs her bag and leaves home with her stuffed cat. Although her busy parents appear to ignore her departure, lucky Loula has a chauffeur with a heart of gold and a generous imagination: he agrees to take her to Africa and keeps up the fantasy as they drive to the city park, watch chimpanzees (other children) play on the monkey bars, traverse a great desert (a sandbox), sip pretend tea on the riverbank, eat ostrich-egg souffle (cotton candy), and get home safe, sound, and a little sleepy after sunset. Both the impressionistic watercolor-over-ink illustrations and the gently arch plot echo Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight's Eloise series, Ludwig Bemelmans' Madeleine and the Gypsies (1959), and Russell Hoban and Lillian Hoban's A Baby Sister for Frances (1976). Loula makes an admirable heroine, and the chauffeur adds a delightful glimpse into a world where an adult takes make-believe seriously and gallantly.--Goldsmith, Francisca Copyright 2010 Booklist