Review: KOALA LOU by Mem Fox

 

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Fox, Mem. 1989. Koala Lou.  Ill. by Pamela Loftis. Orlando: Harcourt Brace. ISBN 0152000763

2. PLOT SUMMARY                       

The main character of this book by Mem Fox, Koala Lou, feels very special and loved by her mother. She often hears the phrase “Koala Lou, I DO love you”. But circumstances change when Koala Lou’s younger brothers and sisters arrive, and her mother doesn’t have as much time to spend with Koala Lou as she is caught up in caring for her younger brothers and sisters. It has been a long time since Koala Lou has heard those special words. She decides that she must do something to earn back her mother’s love and attention, so Koala Lou enters the Bush Olympics. She is sure that by winning the Bush Olympics; she can win back her mother’s love. Cheered on by her mother, Koala Lou practices her tree climbing, running and weight lifting in preparation for the upcoming Olympics. Will she win and earn back her mother’s love and attention?

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

I greatly enjoyed reading this touching book. Mem Fox portrayed the culture of Australia through the personification of one of its most famous animals. While it is difficult to show cultural accuracy in the depiction of animals who are wearing clothing, as in this picture book, the types of animals native to Australia are accurately shown and easily identifiable, as is the gum tree which Koala Lou has to climb. Koala Lou shows very human-like emotions, and any child who has felt left out when younger siblings arrive will be able to relate to it. Pamela Lofts illustrated the book with colored pencil drawings which accurately show the Australian outback. I thought that her drawings did an excellent job of capturing the expressions on the character’s faces and imparting imparting the human emotions described in the text.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

CHILDREN’S LITERATURE REVIEW- “The koala heroine enters the Bush Olympics and hopes to win the gum tree-climbing event so that her mother-overwhelmed by the birth of many, many koala babes-will tell her eldest daughter ‘Koala Lou, I DO love you.’ My favorite illustration shows fluffy Lou racing in red sneakers and pumping weights.”

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY- “Fox's two new books join Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge as perfect examples of why the Australian writer has become one of today's top authors of children's books.” …”Lofts's colored-pencil drawings portray the Australian flora and fauna beautifully, including a few of the more exotic species.”

Texas Reading Club, 2005

5. CONNECTIONS

*I read Koala Lou with one of my third grade students, and she absolutely loved it, and agreed that even when your mom gets very busy and distracted, she still loves you.

*Other books by Mem Fox:      

Fox, Mem. Whoever You Are.  ISBN-13: 9780152060305  
Fox, Mem. Time for Bed. ISBN-13: 9780152881832
Fox, Mem. Possum Magic. ISBN-13: 9780152632243