Wake Up Do, Lydia Lou! by Julia Donaldson and Karen George

Wake Up Do, Lydia Lou! by Julia Donaldson and Karen George
Buy Wake Up Do, Lydia Lou! by Julia Donaldson and Karen George at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: For Sharing
Reviewer: Jo Heffer
Summary: Lydia Lou is a very heavy sleeper and there’s not much that is going to distract her from a good night’s sleep. Even the ghost that glides into her bedroom can’t rouse her. He’s definitely going to need some help from some friends but how many will it take to wake this very sleepy little girl?
Buy? Yes	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 24	Date: June 2013
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
ISBN: 9781447209577
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Julia Donaldson is probably best known for her collaborations with Axel Scheffler on creations such as The Gruffalo and Stick Man. In this book she has teamed up with illustrator, Karen George, in order to present a charming yet sleepy character, Lydia Lou. Throughout this delightful picture book, we see Lydia Lou, with her sweep of curly brown locks, sleeping soundly and contentedly in her bed with her teddy. She is sleeping so soundly that it appears that nothing will wake her; not even the sly ghost that creeps into her room with the sole intention of making her scream.

The ghost decides that he is in need of some help so he fetches a small kitten who goes mew along with the ghost’s Boo! Whoo! Still the little girl does not wake so the ghost enlists more help in the shape of a cow, an owl, a baby and a cockerel, all of whom are very good at making loud noises. None of these can wake the slumbering Lydia Lou as it seems that she is oblivious to loud noises. However, surprisingly it is the lightest, quietest object that does finally wake her; does she scream though? You’ll just have to read this enchanting book and find out.

This is a very appealing story and a delight to read out loud with the possibility of making lots of different animal noises. Interestingly, all these noises rhyme even though they do not all follow the same spelling pattern. One’s attention is definitely drawn to these noises as all of the cock-a-doodle-doos, the boo hoos and the too-whit-too-whoos are in large bold letters that jump out from the page. After a while, your child will start to recognise these and will almost definitely want to start joining in too. In fact, it is likely to turn into a very noisy read so perhaps not the best picture book for calming children down at bedtime.

This is a very simple story that is enhanced by the lovely illustrations that appear on each page. These are quite comical as they show all the different animals appearing with Lydia Lou sleeping very peacefully throughout it all. She looks really snug tucked up in her cosy bed with her teddy.

Overall, this is a delightful book which is likely to become a firm favourite with many small children.

Why not also take a look at The Magic Paintbrush by Julia Donaldson?

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You can read more book reviews or buy Wake Up Do, Lydia Lou! by Julia Donaldson and Karen George at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Wake Up Do, Lydia Lou! by Julia Donaldson and Karen George at Amazon.com.

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