La La: A Story of Hope

A small girl with blunt-cut hair and a determined look shuts her eyes and folds her hands. "La," she sings. She tries a few more notes: "La La La." Nothing happens. She wanders across the pages and outdoors, singing to falling maple leaves. They don't sing back. She sings to the starry purple sky. Nothing. She drags a ladder outside and climbs up to the full moon: "La La." No response. Though the girl is singing, she's not performing or showing off. She's simply saying: "See me! Acknowledge me! Play with me!" And though recognition is a long time coming, when the full golden moon finally sings back to her, it's a triumph. Kim's spreads form a long, almost cinematic sequence. The girl is adorable, though the night world she moves through is dazzling rather than cute--it takes bravery and audacity to sing to that beauty. DiCamillo's story, told with a single word, is one even youngest readers can understand. Everyone wants to be seen, and everyone wants someone to sing back to them. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Holly McGhee, Pippin Properties. Illustrator's agent: Claire Easton, Painted Words. (Oct.)

Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

PreS-Gr 2--A small girl, all alone, sends forth a tentative "la" but receives no reply. Venturing outside, she follows orange leaves past trees and pond and peers through tall grasses. No animals. No people. Just her repetitive, increasingly urgent variations of "La? Laaaa!" Day turns to purple night with shimmering starlight. Even climbing a ladder to the moon fails to garner a response. Dejected, she falls asleep and wakens to a reply at last. Golden moon knows LA! LA! too. Although DiCamillo provided the story concept, its development and execution rest squarely with artist Kim. Her cinematic watercolor and ink illustrations convey the shifting emotions of the main character, and her nighttime scenes are particularly luminous. This low-key, visually striking exploration of loneliness and friendship may resonate with adults and some introspective children, but broad appeal seems unlikely. Educators could use it as a writing prompt or discussion starter or for encouraging children to express their feelings in some kind of visual medium--painting, collage, clay work. Overall, Kim has taken DiCamillo's "small, tentative song" and turned it into a chorale. VERDICT With DiCamillo's popularity and publisher plans for an extensive marketing campaign, this title is likely to be in demand.--Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University Library, Mankato

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.