Loula Is Leaving for Africa

by Anne Villeneuve

Overview

Loula has had enough of her terrible triplet brothers and decides to run away to Africa. Luckily, her mother’s chauffeur, Gilbert, knows just how to get there. Together, Loula and Gilbert ride camels, cross a desert and, most important, use heaps of imagination in this heartwarming adventure.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771380577
Publisher:	Kids Can Press
Publication date:	09/01/2013
Series:	Loula
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	27 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Anne Villeneuve has written and illustrated close to 40 books, created games for magazines, illustrated for newspapers and designed cake boxes for a bakery. Over the years, her work has earned her many distinguished recognitions, such as the Governor General's Literary Award and the Québec/Wallonie-Bruxelles Literary Award in 2000, the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award in 2005 and 2009, and the Mr. Christie's Book Award in 1998.

Editorial Reviews

Villeneuve's sketchy ink-and-watercolor pictures are a good match for this whimsical story in which Africa is a state of mind.

The New York Times Book Review - Sarah Harrison Smith

Loula’s brothers—“mean, horrible, stinky” triplets—have pushed her too far. She announces that she’s taking off for Africa; her theatrical parents merely smile. Only the family’s chauffeur, Gilbert, understands what Loula really needs, and he squires her through a glorious afternoon of make-believe. “Mademoiselle, look! What luck! Here is a restaurant. Which would you prefer,” he says, offering her cotton candy and an ice cream cone, “Ostrich egg soufflé or a grasshopper sandwich?” They cross the desert (he carries her through a sandbox), go for a camel ride (bouncy playground ducks), and take a paddleboat to a remote island (“It is so quiet,” Loula says contentedly, as they share a cup of “tea” and admire the setting sun). Villeneuve’s (The Red Scarf) ink-and-watercolor vignettes have a deliciously swoopy lightness of touch. Somehow, that Loula is the daughter of rich parents with a chauffeur to drive her around does not rankle; it’s all part of the fancy. The afternoon she and Gilbert share has the innocent sweetness of a ’30s film romance, right to the moment he carries the sleeping explorer into the house. Ages 4–7. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

09/01/2013
PreS-Gr 2—Villeneuve has created a sensitive tale about running away from home. Feeling neglected and ignored, Loula is sitting in a tree with her three favorite possessions and is happy to be away from her "mean, horrible, stinky" brothers. When Gilbert, the family's chauffeur, sees her, he looks up and asks, "What are you doing up in a tree?" She replies, "This is not a tree. This is AFRICA!" What follows is an afternoon of imaginary travel across oceans, jungles, deserts, and restaurants that serve grasshopper sandwiches and ostrich egg soufflé. After Gilbert leads her to a little island in the park that they pretend is Africa, they watch the sunset, and then a sleepy Loula is carried back home. The ink and watercolor illustrations have the classic look of Ludwig Bemelmans's "Madeline" series (Viking). Read this title as a part of travel- or siblings-themed storytimes.—Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, AB, Canada

School Library Journal

★ 2013-08-15
Loula seethes. Sick of three ugly brothers and ignored by dotty parents, she sets out for Africa, making it only as far as the tree in the front yard until Gilbert (the family chauffeur) arrives to assist her on an imaginative safari. Much feels familiar here: an affluent, plucky girl with an upturned nose and a doting servant (Eloise, anyone?). A round-brimmed straw hat calls to mind a spunky French girl (bonjour, Madeline!). It's Gilbert, long-legged and lanky in high-waisted trousers, driving cap and bow tie, that makes this story special, sweet and lasting. His elaborate game of pretend, one that turns a city playground into the jungle, desert and rivers of Africa, reveals an utter devotion not only to little Loula, but also to make-believe. "Mademoiselle, please! Don't put your hand in the water! Piranhas!" he cautions urgently. Gestural ink-and-watercolor illustrations evoke the fantastic fluidity of the imagination, and crisp, copious white space suggests its limitlessness. Yellows and blues appear frequently, making this sunny adventure even sunnier. When Loula and Gilbert reach their destination (a tiny park island) at sunset, the dark squiggly cloud that hovered above Loula's head on each previous page dissipates in a miniexplosion of elation. A paean to imagination and an artful acknowledgment of children's needs and frustrations, leavened with poignancy and humor. (Picture book. 2-6)

Kirkus Reviews