Title: Loud Lula
Author: Katy S. Duffield
Illustrator: Mike Boldt
Target Audience: 4-10
Opening Lines:
Lula was born smack-dab in the middle of one of the biggest
twisters Pryor County had ever seen.
Winds howled. Trees snapped. It was bust—your—eardrums loud. But…it wasn’t
as loud as Lula.
Publisher Summary:
Lula might be a pint-sized gal, but she’s got a big ol’
voice! Since her birth, Lula’s loud
voice has wreaked tens kinds of havoc across Pryor County, disrupting humans
and animals alike. Lula’s parents are
worried:
What’s going to happen when Lula starts school?
Will Lula ever learn to use her “inside voice”?
But when Lula spots something sinister making it’s way
toward town, it seems that she may have found just the right use for that big
ol’ voice after all.
Evaluation:
Ok. True confession. I completely related to Lula. When I was a child, I was always being told to
speak softer. To me, I sounded
normal. Unfortunately, I have not
outgrown my bellowing voice or lively laugh.
In comes in handy as a teacher. My students can always find me. No one ever tells me to speak up, and I don’t have anyone fall asleep in
class. (Well, except for one student who
used to sit in the front row!!!! Talk
about being able to sleep through a hurricane!)
As for Loud Lula,
I loved it. It reads like a modern day
tall tale, with lots of hyperbole. For
instance, she calls her kitty home for supper and “every cat all the way from
Crowley’s Corner came a-callin’." When she asks, “Where’s the bathroom?” The schoolhouse shakes “like a big ol’ bowl
of boysenberry jelly.”
Duffield incorporates similes. She describes the storm as “like nothing more than a chicken feather
hitting the hen house floor.” Everyone
else is exhausted, but Lula is “spry as a spring chicken.”
The illustrations are full of drama! The
schoolhouse shaking, kids fainting, and Lula dancing on her desk! The characters are animated—joyful, exhausted,
content, surprised, excited, annoyed, and relieved. There are many opportunities to discuss
emotions.
At the end of the narrative, Lula uses her loud voice to
warn others of danger and save the day: “The way some folks tell it, those
firefighters didn’t even have to pull out their hoses. Lula’s rip-roaring holler ran that wildfire
back across the hills!” Lula is a hero and spotlighted in the local paper. She is finally appreciated (well, sort of)
for who she is—joyful, enthusiastic, caring, and loud.
Loud Lula is a
reminder that we need to appreciate and to celebrate all people, even when
their gifts and personality may be different than the norm. This book is a riot, especially for the loud one in the
class/family or for kids who enjoy a good boisterous read.
Ideas for Lesson
Plans and Extension Activities:
- Language Arts: Teach about hyperbole and simile
- Character Education: Discuss talents, gifts, and special qualities
- Science: Research tornados and wild fires
- Writing: Write a newspaper article about a local or school hero
- Field Trip: Visit a fire station
- Social Studies: Learn about feelings and emotions
Visit Susanna Hill's blog for other Perfect Picturebooks.
No comments:
Post a Comment