Lulu and the Brontasaurus

Description: Lulu's parents refuse to give in when she demands a brontosaurus for her birthday and so she sets out to find her own, but while the brontosaurus she finally meets approves of pets, he does not intend to be Lulu's.

Review: Lulu is a spoiled brat who screeches, whines, and throws a temper-tantrum until her parents given in to her demands. On her birthday, Lulu declares she wants a brontosaurus. Naturally, her parents refuse. With her lightbulb-shattering screeches and four consecutive days of screaming and seeing she isn't making any progress with her parents, she tells them that she is leaving, packs a small suitcase, and sets off into the forest in search of her own pet. After getting the best of a snake, tiger, and bear on hr journey through the forest, she meets a brontosaurus. He, however, decides that she will be his perfect pet. Lulu must now convince him otherwise and come up new tactics to achieve her goal.    While this story follows a familiar cautionary-tale story line, Lulu is both determined and surprisingly resourceful. Her small suitcase for instance reminds of the bag that is found in Harry Potter that carries a vast amount of things. Viorst's narrative is definitely tongue in cheek which makes this book a great choice for a read-aloud.  There's plenty of child-friendly humor, and Lane Smith's droll, exaggerated pencil drawings on pastel paper deftly add to the fun. Lulu and the Brontosaurus is an inventive, lighthearted fantasy that manages to teach a valuable lesson without being heavy handed. I would definitely recommend this chapter book for younger readers.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for Grades 1-4.

If you like this book try: Lulu Walks the Dog by Judith Viorst, The Dunderheads by Paul Fleischman, Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo