GravityGirl's Full Review: Lauren Child - I Will Be Especially Very Careful
My two and a half year old daughter is a big fan of Charlie and Lola. I have been a fan for years- even before she was born. I love the quirky animation and the whimsical storylines. Before I had children, I worked in the early child education field, and I loved how Charlie and Lola cooperate and tackle real-life situations.
More often than not, if we watch a television program, it is Charlie and Lola. We also read Charlie and Lola books and my daughter even has giggling Charlie and Lola dolls (thank you, Bubby).
For those of you who are unfamiliar with these characters, Charlie and Lola are a British brother and sister. They appear on an animated program, and there is also a series of books (based on episodes of the television show).
One of the most recent Charlie and Lola books that we have gotten is I Will Be Especially Very Careful. In this story, Lola's friend Lotta comes to visit. Lotta has a fancy new white fluffy coat.
Lola admires the coat, and asks if she can borrow it. Lotta reluctantly agrees, and Lola promises that she will take good care of it.
And Lola does take good care of the coat; she avoids sticky things at the post office and shopping trolleys at the grocery store...and then she realizes that she has forgotten the coat at the library.
Lola is very sad, and she is worried that Lotta will not want to be her friend when she learns that the coat has been lost. But Charlie tells Lola that she needs to be honest, and that Lotta will understand that it was an accident.
At school, Lola reveals that the coat is gone. Lotta is very sad- but is there a possibility that the coat might turn up?
My daughter likes this story a lot. She calls it the "fluffy coat book" and wants to read it at least once a day. She especially likes the two-page spread in which Lola tells Lotta that the coat is lost. My daughter will say, "Lotta very very sad. Lotta crying." as she points to the single tear forming in Lotta's eye. Hooray for learning empathy!
I like this book because of the values it promotes. Sure, Lola loses Lotta's coat, but before that, she tries very hard to take care of the coat- and that should be admired as well. I especially appreciate that Charlie (who is very wise for his years) stresses the importance of being honest with Lotta. This is definitely something that I want my daughter to know: being honest might not be the easiest choice, but it is most certainly the right choice.
I don't want to give away the ending, but I will say that the resolution is a tad rougher than it was in the original television episode. The transition from show to book is a little awkward, and the ending ends up being slightly more of a non sequitur than it needs to be.
The illustrations are another high point of the book. Lauren Child, the creator, uses a very whimsical collage-style of illustration. Because Charlie and Lola started out as book characters before becoming television stars and embarking on new adventures, the illustrations transition fairly well from their original animated form. I find the collage style to be fun. Most of the illustrations are cartoonish, but for example, when Charlie and Lola go to the supermarket, there are photographs of things like watermelons in the crates as Charlie and Lola walk down the aisles of the store.
I also like that much of the language has been kept from the original English. On the television program, Charlie and Lola talk about biscuits (cookies) and playing football (soccer) and eating fish fingers (fish sticks). Sometimes, the books "translate" this into American English, and it irks me to no end. Children can figure things out- even if you don't watch the show, you can figure out that cookies are biscuits if there is a plate of cookies sitting on the table. I love that when they go to the supermarket, Lola gets stuck on a..... shopping trolley. How cute!
I highly recommend I Will be Especially Very Careful. I have found that the books are released at various price points in specific formats- the hardcover books are the most expensive, but they are also the most thorough. I love all the little details in the book, and I love the message about being honest. We can't help but giggle as Lola tries to hard to keep Lotta's coat clean and fluffy.
Lola s bestest best friend Lotta has a new coat. It is the most loveliest coat Lola has ever seen and she absolutely must borrow it. Lotta says okay, ...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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