Noodle and Lou by Liz Garton Scanlon, illus by Arthur Howard
As I mentioned on Friday, I purchased myself a copy of Noodle and Lou at the bookstore. Anything by Liz Garton Scanlon will always have a place on my bookshelves, and I was only too happy to snag a copy of her latest picture book, the tale of a downhearted earthworm named Noodle and his encouraging best friend, a blue jay named Lou.
The copy on the back cover says quite a bit about the contents of this book:
"Who do you turn to when you're feeling blue?"
The story works for me on multiple levels, as good stories often do: I felt sorry for poor Noodle, who was truly having a bad day, and quite impressed with Lou, who walks that fine line between friendly/cheerful and smarmy/too cheerful, always staying just on the right side of the line. (Is there anything worse than someone who is falsely cheerful when you're having a bad day? I think not.)
Jama Rattigan has a much more detailed, completely gorgeous post about this book from its launch date last Tuesday, which I heartily encourage - nay, urge - you to read, but I will say that the story is pitch-perfect and well-told using just the right amount of whimsy and rhyme, and the illustrations are completely joyful and full of eye-popping color and bold lines.
So very much to love in this story about friends and their friendship and about how even on a bad day, there are good things on which to focus.
