FICTION

Please, Louise

by Slade Morrison
MORRISON, Toni & . illus. by Shadra Strickland. 32p. S & S/Paula Wiseman. Mar. 2014. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9781416983385; ebk. $10.99. ISBN 9781442433106. LC 2012026303.
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K-Gr 3—Louise leaves the house on a gray, rainy day, walking past abandoned cars and barking dogs to the library, a warm and dry haven where her imagination can take flight. The concept behind this story is lovely; the execution, however, falls flat. The rhyming text is clunky and awkward and lacks an easily spoken cadence. Toward the end, the narrative changes jarringly from speaking to Louise to talking about Louise. The mixed-media illustrations are effective, especially as the palette changes when the dreary day gives way to sun, but they are not enough to compensate for the unwieldy verse.—Martha Link Yesowitch, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, NC
"Scary thoughts are your creation / when you have no information." Most things in Louise's urban neighborhood scare her, until she discovers the library: "She can understand what she feels, / since books can teach and please Louise." Forced and labored rhymes deliver a heavy-handed (if noble) message meant to inspire children--but which will likely have the opposite effect. The mixed-media illustrations soften the sermonizing.
Reviewed by Martha Link Yesowitch , Mar 01, 2014

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