Librarians and teachers are all too aware of the importance of having multicultural faces in books to reflect our multicultural population and all too aware that, unfortunately, many of these have been worthy and somewhat dull. With the wonderful Lulu books we have characters so exuberantly and joyously portrayed in words and pictures that the diversity is not what one first notices. If you have only just met Lulu you must also seek out Lulu Loves the Library, which you would expect a librarian to recommend, but this second outing is even better! We have a Dad being the carer and, more importantly, the book sharer, and we have Lulu being swept away by her imagination. Inspired by the books she loves, she can imagine herself anything from a fairy to a DIY expert. So we have positive role models for families, for girls and for all readers. Lulu can convince us all that books and stories are absolutely the best thing in the world. On a purely practical note I would also like to commend the publishers for the toddler proof quality of the book’s production and its perfect size for small hands to grasp.

NOTE: This is a review for the British edition of Lola Loves Stories, entitled Lulu Loves Stories

In this follow up to Lulu Loves the Library, the young toddler's appetite for books is now such that it requires an extra visit to the library with her father each Saturday. Proud possessor of a library card, Lulu stocks up on new material to ensure a daily supply of bedtime stories for her parents to read to her. These fire her imagination to act out characters and situations, especially when playing with friends. With its simple text and charming illustrations, the book is a further celebration of the power and shared joys of reading.

NOTE: This is a review for the British edition of Lola Loves Stories, entitled Lulu Loves Stories.

Lola's daddy takes her to the library every Saturday, where she finds "excellent books," and every night her mommy or daddy reads them to her. The next day Lola acts out the story. On Sunday she's a fairy princess; on Monday she takes her toy animals "on fantastic trips to places like Paris"; on Wednesday she's a tiger, etc. Each new book and day provides Lola with a variety of tales to play out, with the last one--which is about a wild monster--posing the question, "What will Lola be tomorrow?" The final page shows her in a wolf suit just like Max's. The library books, the pretending, and the incorporation of the days of the week work together as a simple and pleasing premise. Beardshaw's acrylic illustrations depict the multicultural kids and Lola's black family with childlike charm, while the title will have librarians, parents and booksellers smiling. Alert: The book will be an invitation for lap kids to follow Lola's lead--not such a bad thing.

The lovable African-American preschooler from Lola at the Library (Charlesbridge, 2006) returns in this whimsical picture book. Lola and her daddy go to the library every Saturday to pick out books. The stories she reads with her family throughout the week lend inspiration to her playtime, stretching her imagination and physical limits. Lola becomes a fairy princess, a pilot flying to exotic places, a farmer, and even a "wild and wicked" monster. The simple and straightforward text is easy to read, and the bright acrylic illustrations are eye-catching close-ups of Lola absorbed in books and in play. This engaging depiction of a child's enthusiasm for being read to is an excellent choice for libraries.

In Lola at the Library (2006), readers learned that bibliophilic Lola and her mother travel to the library every Tuesday. Turns out one trip a week isn't enough: every Saturday, Lola and her father pick out library books, which then become the inspiration for pretend play the rest of the week. "Tuesday night Lola's mommy reads a story about fierce tigers. The next day Lola chases her friend Orla all over the jungle" (actually a backyard that the two girls have stocked with stuffed animals). McQuinn and Beardshaw keep their young African-American heroine firmly rooted in the real world, and while the sturdy characterizations and cheery, saturated acrylic colors are never less than genial, the literalness starts to feel a bit ho-hum--it's almost like reading a recipe book for "Let's Pretend." A nod to Where the Wild Things Are in the final pages (it's the last book Lola and her father read) may remind readers all too well of what a real flight of fancy looks like.

The summer is a great time to visit the public library. In this story, Lola Loves Stories by Anna McQuinn, Lola's daddy takes her to the library on Saturdays. Lola is excited to find many books she likes in the busy library. She takes out one for each night of the week. After Lola hears the story she turns herself into the character the next day. She dresses herself as a fairy princess, a jungle tiger, and a construction worker making a building. On Friday night Lola's daddy reads a story about magic shoes. The next day Lola's shoes are truly amazing! They sparkle all the way to the library so she can find more books.

This is a magicial story about loving books and the library. The warm illustrations created by Rosalind Beardshaw bring Lola alive. Young children will relate to Lola's imagination and hopefully want to visit the library to find books.

This cute sequel to Lola at the Library shows what happens when the little girl gets home and her parents read her the books she has checked out of the library. Each night Lola hears a new story, and the next day her play reflects what she heard.

For example, after reading about a fairy princess, Lola gets all dressed up in a sparkly crown and fancy dress so that she can be a little princess. Other books about amazing journeys, fierce tigers and Old MacDonald's farm give Lola ideas for new play scenarios.

A delightful picture book, Lola Loves Stories graphically illustrates how a child's imagination can be sparked by a story--and make her play time much more interesting.

If you read my first book, Lola at the Library, you know how much I love books. Well, in this book my daddy takes me back to the library to pick out some books. Each night my dad or mom reads one of the stories to me.

Now what's really cool is that after I hear a story I make up a game to go with it so that the next day I and my friends have something to do. For example, I have been a pilot, a farmer, a fairy princess and even a fierce tiger.

Bedtime stories are about all sorts of things so you never run out of fun things to do. All you have to have is a good imagination and you can turn almost any story into some type of fun activity. When my daddy read about buildings, the next day we made some repairs to my doll house.

I think tonight the bedtime story will be about monsters. Hmmm, that will make playtime tomorrow really interesting!

If you are a preschooler between two and five years of age I bet you'll like my book because then you can try doing what I do in the story. You'll see, making up story games is really fun!

When three-year-old Lola and her father read stories, Lola becomes the hero of each, using her imagination to become a fairy princess, a construction worker, and even a scary monster. Lola is just as sure to delight preschoolers in this quiet read-aloud as she did in McQuinn’s Lola Loves the Library. A simple text and soft pastels make this a charming, if slight, read, and many families and teachers will be thrilled to find a book featuring an African-American girl and her father engaged in early literacy activities. The story leaves readers wondering about (and discussing) Lola’s next inspiration.

Lola's daddy takes her to the library on Saturdays and once they are home, he reads Lola the books they borrowed. After hearing her daddy read the first story about a fairy princess, Lola spends the next day wearing a fancy dress and a sparkling crown. She is a fabulous fairy princess! Lola can achieve anything she wants if she tries, just like the people in the books that her dad reads for her. One day she is a princess, the next day she is a ship traveler, and another day she is a hunter. Accompanied by beautiful pictures by Rosalind Beardshaw, the book is perfect to show young children how a love of books and libraries can take them, at least in their imaginations, to adventure, love, and knowledge.

In Lola's first book, Lola at the Library, readers went to the library with Lola. In her second book we discover what happens after the library. She returns home armed with books for the coming week, and each book (read to her by her parents) provides new playtime inspiration for the subsequent days of the week. On Sunday she is a fairy princess, but on Wednesday she's a tiger, and the final question asks "What will Lola be next?" The acrylic drawings are bold depictions of Lola's adventures in new lands and new identities. This is an excellent storybook for introducing the imagination, days of the week, and the limitless boundaries of books.

A companion to Lola at the Library (Charlesbridge, 2006), this book opens with Lola and her father on their way to the library, where she borrows enough books to enjoy for the rest of the week. Each night one of her parents reads her a book, and the next day she imagines she is one of the characters. Reeanacting the stories, Lola becomes a princess and even Max from Where the Wild Things Are.

A little girl enjoys visiting the library each Saturday with her father, who reads aloud to her.