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Revision as of 15:36, 3 October 2009
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{{infobox
|title= Lulu's Shoes
|author= Camilla Reid
|reviewer= Magda Healey
|genre=For Sharing
|summary= A chunky board book for toddlers with inventive interactive features, this comes recommended for girls - and particularly the ones with shoe-holic mums.
|rating=4
|buy= Maybe
|borrow= Yes
|format= Hardback
|pages=16
|publisher= Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
|date= May 2008
|isbn=978-0747594031
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0747594031</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>0747594031</amazonus>
}}
If one of the key female traits is a love of shoes, I am certainly a traitor to my gender: I live in crocs, bare feet are even more preferable and the idea of a shoe-cupboard fills me with dread rather than anticipation.
And still, I liked ''Lulu's Shoes''. It's a board book for toddlers: chunky pages, very little text, simple illustrations without too much detail and, as the subtitle of ''utterly fabulous interactive book'' promises, the interactive part.
Touchy-feely books are very popular with toddlers and their parents - I couldn't quite grasp the reason at first (my daughter never was interested in the textures for touching and just looked at the pictures) but now I understand the attraction as my son, not yet two years old, loves them. ''Lulu's Shoes'' is not just a touchy-feely book, though: each page has a different pair of shoes (all, obviously, belonging to Lulu) and, in addition to the normal textures, they offer a few more ways of interacting: the Mary Janes have a Velcro buckle that can be really closed, the winter boots - real laces that could be tied, and there is even a lift-the-flap surprise at the end.
Toddlers are fascinated by shoes, they learn how to take them off often, and they love trying on ones belonging to adults and older children (well, at least mine does!): maybe it's association with the excitement of going out, or just that they are interesting objects in themselves. ''Lulu's Shoes'' taps into this fascination very well, and, although it is pink and girly, the illustrations, which are fairly modern (a bit similar to Lauren Child's style), make it quite acceptable even to this reviewer with a moderately strong anti-pink streak.
I would give ''Lulu's Shoes'' more stars if it wasn't such an incredibly gendered book: I feel that the wink towards shoeholic grown-ups was over the top (now I think about it, the style of the artwork is somehow similar to chick-lit book covers) and it means that many little boys, as fascinated by shoes as little girls, will miss on a chance of playing with this.
Still, a nice addition to a toddler selection and recommended - especially if you love shoes yourself and have a little girl.
The review copy was end to the Book bag by the publisher - thank you!
There series continues with [[Lulu's Clothes by Camilla Reid and Ailie Busby|Lulu's Clothes]]. If you like the sound of this but have a slightly older child, you might also like [[I Can Do Anything That's Everything All on My Own (Charlie & Lola) by Lauren Child|Charlie and Lola]] and [[The Man Who Wore All His Clothes by Allan Ahlberg and Katharine McEwen|The Man Who Wore All His Clothes]].
{{amazontext|amazon=0747594031}}
{{commenthead}}
|title= Lulu's Shoes
|author= Camilla Reid
|reviewer= Magda Healey
|genre=For Sharing
|summary= A chunky board book for toddlers with inventive interactive features, this comes recommended for girls - and particularly the ones with shoe-holic mums.
|rating=4
|buy= Maybe
|borrow= Yes
|format= Hardback
|pages=16
|publisher= Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
|date= May 2008
|isbn=978-0747594031
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0747594031</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>0747594031</amazonus>
}}
If one of the key female traits is a love of shoes, I am certainly a traitor to my gender: I live in crocs, bare feet are even more preferable and the idea of a shoe-cupboard fills me with dread rather than anticipation.
And still, I liked ''Lulu's Shoes''. It's a board book for toddlers: chunky pages, very little text, simple illustrations without too much detail and, as the subtitle of ''utterly fabulous interactive book'' promises, the interactive part.
Touchy-feely books are very popular with toddlers and their parents - I couldn't quite grasp the reason at first (my daughter never was interested in the textures for touching and just looked at the pictures) but now I understand the attraction as my son, not yet two years old, loves them. ''Lulu's Shoes'' is not just a touchy-feely book, though: each page has a different pair of shoes (all, obviously, belonging to Lulu) and, in addition to the normal textures, they offer a few more ways of interacting: the Mary Janes have a Velcro buckle that can be really closed, the winter boots - real laces that could be tied, and there is even a lift-the-flap surprise at the end.
Toddlers are fascinated by shoes, they learn how to take them off often, and they love trying on ones belonging to adults and older children (well, at least mine does!): maybe it's association with the excitement of going out, or just that they are interesting objects in themselves. ''Lulu's Shoes'' taps into this fascination very well, and, although it is pink and girly, the illustrations, which are fairly modern (a bit similar to Lauren Child's style), make it quite acceptable even to this reviewer with a moderately strong anti-pink streak.
I would give ''Lulu's Shoes'' more stars if it wasn't such an incredibly gendered book: I feel that the wink towards shoeholic grown-ups was over the top (now I think about it, the style of the artwork is somehow similar to chick-lit book covers) and it means that many little boys, as fascinated by shoes as little girls, will miss on a chance of playing with this.
Still, a nice addition to a toddler selection and recommended - especially if you love shoes yourself and have a little girl.
The review copy was end to the Book bag by the publisher - thank you!
There series continues with [[Lulu's Clothes by Camilla Reid and Ailie Busby|Lulu's Clothes]]. If you like the sound of this but have a slightly older child, you might also like [[I Can Do Anything That's Everything All on My Own (Charlie & Lola) by Lauren Child|Charlie and Lola]] and [[The Man Who Wore All His Clothes by Allan Ahlberg and Katharine McEwen|The Man Who Wore All His Clothes]].
{{amazontext|amazon=0747594031}}
{{commenthead}}
