Camilla Reid (text) & Ailie Busby (illustrations)
(Bloomsbury Children’s Books)
Meet Lulu, cute little red-haired girl, and follow her throughout the day as she goes about her daily activities and discover her world and the people and things that inhabit it. Subtitled “A book about being quite little”, This is Lulu is a perfect book for toddlers who are ready to move on from board books. With its sturdy pages and lots of flaps to peek behind, this is a highly interactive book and little readers will be delighted by the familiar settings, situations and activities brought to life within its pages. From going to the park, to favourite toys and from fun bath times to falling out with little friends, as audiences explore Lulu’s world, they will be able to relate and make sense of their own surroundings.
Camilla Reid’s text is well pitched at the intended audience. The text is simple and clear but still carries a lovely and fluid storyline, and within this story there are also opportunities to showcase every day keywords, which are simply illustrated; this will initiate some great discussions and facilitate language and early literacy acquisition. This lovely double-spread is a great example of how well it all fits together:
The illustrations by Ailie Busby are attractive and vibrant with a lovely colours and are immensely toddler-friendly. There is something really hip and fashionable about the Lulu books. I think this is a lot to do with Busby’s style. Lulu is a great little heroine and this is a perfect series for little girls (this is the sixth book in the series). It is very gender-specific, yes, but I don’t think there is anything wrong with that.
This is Lulu is a charming book and the series is definitely one to look out for.
All illustrations © Ailie Busby
Many thanks to Bloomsbury Children’s Books for providing a review copy of “This is Lulu”
