Koala Lou

Link to Amazon

Readers will love this touching story of a young Koala, her mother, and her sadness over not being the apple of her mother's eye any longer. At the beginning of the story Koala Lou is the only child, and thusly, the favorite. Everyday she hears from her mother how much she is loved, and she cherishes hearing this. However, one day, when she has many siblings, she is feeling left out when her mother no longer has the time to tell her how much she is loved everyday. To fix this situation she decides to enter the Bush Olympics, which she is convinced will make her mother tell her how much she is loved once again. 

This story is set in Australia, where it's author is from. The reader is transported to the bush where they meet all of the animals that they would traditionally meet, and they are all drawn appropriately. Many different animals are represented and all are shown correctly, which shows the talent of the illustrator. The illustrator also shows some of the animal habitats so that the reader can get a sense of this environment.

Students can use this book as an introduction to a research project over the Australian bush. Students can create models of the habitats of the animals represented within the pages of this story. Also, students can research the different animals that are represented within this story to gain a better understanding of the Australian bush. 

This book was reviewed by Publisher's Weekly and an excerpt of the review follows.

Publisher's Weekly Review: Lofts's colored-pencil drawings portray the Australian flora and fauna beautifully, including a few of the more exotic species. Fox's book sends out a positive message to children about the wonders of being human: Koala Lou celebrates the eternal love of a mother for her child without the sentimentality of Robert Munsch's Love You Forever. Ages 3-6.

Citation:

Fox, M. (1988). Koala lou. Ill. by Pamela Lofts. Orlando, FL: Harcourt.

Naomi Emory