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.

Kim ('Take Heart, My Child') has created sumptuous images, especially several pages awash in deep, rich purples, that suggest an expansive dreamscape where anything is possible. At the same time, DiCamillo's barely-there text gives the art space to breathe, leaving room for children to fill in the silences with their own boundless imaginations.
—The New York Times Book Review 

DiCamillo and Kim combine their considerable talents in this almost wordless picture book that speaks to a universal longing: the hope that we are not alone...Kim's gouache-and-acrylic artwork, graphically strong and full of heart, illuminates DiCamillo's concept. Adults could almost use this as flip-book with children, so full of movement are the pictures. But the best use will be as a springboard for discussion about loneliness, life, and love.
—Booklist

In a nearly wordless book, DiCamillo delivers an inspiring, powerful story beautifully realized through Kim's mixed-media illustrations...The square format contains soft colors that contrast with strong geometric design elements, subtly underscoring the push and pull of emotional tension. The limited palette of comforting, complementary purples and yellows along with the character's expressive body language evoke both her loneliness and determination to overcome it. For a dreamer, it's easy to imagine a singer in the benevolent face in the moon—here it's a symbol of hope.
—Kirkus Reviews 

Some books are striking because of their content. Some stand out because they are unlike anything that creator has made before...This one is a little of both. It's a fully-realized story (with sizable assistance from Jaime Kim) written by a Newbery winner containing one word consisting of two letters. Also, it's about a girl striking up a friendship with the moon.
—100 Scope Notes (blog)

Two-time Newbery Medalist DiCamillo, one of Minnesota's favorite authors, and best-selling illustrator Jaime Kim collaborate to tell a simple and sweet story...This book fits DiCamillo's theme when she was National Ambassador for Young People's Literature — Stories Connect Us.
—Pioneer Press

While leaving space for creativity and idea sparking, both DiCamillo and Kim have included their own perspectives on the story...It is touching to make the realization that, when all else fails, one will never be alone while there exists a moon.
—New York Journal of Books

The casual reader might thumb through this nearly wordless story and dismiss it as overly simple or otherwise inadequate. This would be a mistake. DiCamillo, a household name, shines by purposefully placing strikingly sparing text alongside stunning illustrations that tells a complex and optimistic story of overcoming loneliness with the help of the moon...Followed up with heartfelt author and illustrator notes, this seemingly simple book truly is "a story of hope."
—School Library Connection Online

This beautiful book by author extraordinaire Kate DiCamillo and talented illustrator Jaime Kim depicts a little girl finding her voice in a big, big world...Reading the author and illustrator's note at the end of the book will also provide a beautiful insight into the background of the story and how ultimately all of us desire companionship and to be heard.
—Story Monsters Ink

The energetic illustrations make hope come alive in this mostly wordless picture book.
—Learning Magazine

The text of this book is one word: La. But the story is abundantly clear.
—Star Tribune

Sometimes you don't need words to tell a story, and this wordless picture book does just that.
—Brightly (blog)