Title: Lulu & Rocky in Detroit
Author: Barbara Joosse
Illustrated By: Renée Graef
Publisher: Sleeping
Bear Press
Copyright date: 2019
Target Audience: Pre-K & Lower Elementary
Summary:
Lulu and Rocky are fox cousins
that explore different cities together. Their journey always begins with a letter
from Aunt Fancy. Rocky gets his mysterious letter in the mail and Lulu gets
hers via email. This time they’re going to visit Detroit, Michigan. Everyday of
their stay, Aunt Fancy leaves a new Adventure Assignment with the concierge.
These Adventure Assignments lead them all over the city, allowing readers to
learn about all of the awesome places to see when visiting Detroit.
Critique of Contents & Organization:
The dedications section on the Copyright Page
lists all the organizations and business that helped the author and illustrator
create the book. The title page is a hand drawn map of Detroit that lists all
the places Lulu and Rocky visit throughout the book. At the end of the book
there is also a More to Know! Section, which gives information on all
the places Lulu and Rocky visited. The story itself is told in chronological
order as the fox cousins go on their journey exploring Detroit.
This is a narrative nonfiction that blurs the lines a bit
between facts and fiction. I say this because the main characters are anthropomorphic
foxes that talk and go on adventures. Clearly this is not realistic—however, I
think even preschoolers know that this isn’t how foxes typically behave, and
therefore does not lead them to believe that penguins chauffeur foxes around the
state of Michigan.
This book does a great job of making a trip to Detroit
exciting and adventurous. Instead of simply saying, “visit the United States’ oldest
aquarium”, readers get a sneak peek of what the United States’ oldest aquarium
looks like. The book doesn’t bog readers down with lots of details, but instead
provides just enough information through minimal text and exhilarating illustrations
to pique interest and encourage a sense of adventure.
Between the amazing illustrations and the minimal text, this
book makes for a great read aloud.
Reasons to Include this Title in Your Library Collection:
I think this book is a great way to encourage reluctant
readers to engage with cities they’ve never visited before. It’s an entirely
different spin on the larger, more detailed travel guides and books older students
use for class reports or to plan vacations. I think this is far more engaging
and encourages readers to become interested in all the different attractions
and businesses different cities provide. I could even see this as a great
resource for children that are moving to a new city and fear the move because
it makes the new city seem like a grand adventure with lots of mysteries and cool
locations to explore and discover. There’s also a lot of travel related
extensions!
Use & Extension Activities:
- Read this book aloud in class before a field trip to Detroit.
- Have children imagine that Lulu & Rocky are visiting their hometown. What places would Aunt Fancy send them to visit? What is the message our hometown expresses?
- Older children can create Adventure Assignments for cities they are unfamiliar with.
- Discuss cities the students have visited and what made the trip so special. (Older students can also create their own travel scrapbooks, and if the students haven’t visited a different town, they can create one for their hometown or pick a town to investigate).
Read Alikes:
Author: Shannon Jones
What an ingenious way to introduce a younger audience to the adventure of travel: what kind of places, attractions and communities are in a city. I like the aerial view on the cover which shows Canada pictured in the lower part of the book. Young readers can see how close Michigan is to Canada, as well the city landmarks. I work with an older audience, but if I were still working in a elementary school I would add this book to the collection with other books about the states. Is Lulu and Rocky a part of a series? It would be fun to see what places in Indianapolis their aunt would have them explore.
ReplyDeleteTheresa Coleman
Thank you for such a great comment! Lulu & Rocky is a series! The first book is about Milwaukee, Detroit is the second, and the upcoming third book is about Indy!
DeleteA brilliant way to excite kids about exploring their own city or a new city! I really like that you included pictures and showed how this book is different from any other kids guide book, if there are any. I love that the book highlights things to see/do as well as why. It truly allows readers to explore a nonfiction, skipping around parts that are of interest or that cover sights they plan to see.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I didn't even think about how it encourages readers to focus on just they parts they like--but you're right! Thank you for the great comment.
DeleteThat sounds like such a fun story to read to a little one. Of course, I can't help but think of a friend of mine who writes anthropomorphic fiction. I love that the illustrations are of real places. It sounds like a great way to learn about a city!
ReplyDelete