Loula and Mister the Monster

May 15, 2015
Loula fears Mama might have had it with their family's drooling, wagging, lunging, gargantuan Great Dane, Mister. The little girl decides to refine the hound's etiquette through a series of lessons, all of which go terribly (and predictably) awry. Draped in Papa's necktie, Mister smashes plates, teacups, and saucers, splashes merrily in a burbling park fountain, and dashes through a museum chasing a squirrel-spewing spittle the whole time. Discouraged, Loula heads home, her longtime chauffeur and friend, Gilbert, at her side. Ink-and-watercolor illustrations convey the clumsy, constant movement of a loping, energetic dog. Action and motion stream through breezy, loose artwork: leashes stretch, tails and whiskers quiver, leaves flutter, statues...fall! While Mister's bulging eyes and slapstick stances yield easy laughs, Villeneuve's lines (subtly gestural and with varied weights and thicknesses) as well as her strategic placement of vignettes across stark, white spreads account for much of this book's comedic success. Small readers will also find the aid and collegiality Gilbert offers little Loula immensely pleasing, as few adults work happily alongside children as unmitigated equals. But Mama and readers both know that Mister is no monster, and the real focus of her frustration, revealed on the final page, serves up a satisfying finishing laugh. Like a stinky dog-lick on the nose, this simply silly picture book will bring smiles to little faces. (Picture book. 2-6)

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December 1, 2015

PreS-Gr 2-Loula's series continues with a busy tale of teaching manners to her harlequin Great Dane, Mister. After overhearing her mother say, "I can't live with that monster anymore," Loula takes pains to school the rampant giant pooch in table manners, keeping clean, and not jumping. Unfortunately, Mister's drooling and sometimes manic instincts lead to chaos, including major disruption at an art museum. After sneaking back home, girl and dog discover Mama's patience had actually expired for a massive Venus flytrap plant-not the Great Dane. Villeneuve's ink and watercolor scenes teem with comedy and offer ample details for study. VERDICT This title nicely pairs with discussion of manners or avoiding false assumptions.-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2015
Preschool-G Like Eloise, Loula is a girl who doesn't let her privileged background keep her from getting into trouble. In this picture book, the third in Villeneuve's series, Loula and her slobbering dog, Mister, overhear her mother exclaim, I can't live with that . . . that MONSTER anymore! Alarmed, Loula tries to turn her energetic and very large pet into the most perfect little dog so that her mother doesn't give him away. Loula scrubs him and then enlists Gilbert, her family's chauffeur, to help with further training. The trio roam through the park in an effort to let the dog practice his poise (a mixed success), and then they are nearly arrested after a museum mishap. Villeneuve's charming watercolor-and-ink illustrations show how devoted Loula and Mister are to each other and playfully depict their comic antics. It shouldn't come as a surprise, for even the youngest of readers, that Loula misunderstood her mother's words when speaking of a monster, and all is well in the end.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2016
When Loula overhears her mother say "I can't live with that...that MONSTER anymore!," the girl is convinced that Mama intends to jettison her beloved dog, so she institutes manners lessons to turn her canine couth. This Loula outing has the hallmarks of its predecessors--wit, compassion, accessibly urbane art--plus a surprise punch line (the "monster" is an unwieldy plant).

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)