Charlie and Lola: Say Cheese! - Hardcover

The New York Times bestselling author/artist Lauren Child lives in London, England.

Kindergarten-Grade 3—Charlie and Lola, two endearing siblings featured in books and in a popular television series, are back just in time for Lola's "first ever school photo." She wants to be "tidy and clean" to please her mum, but it isn't "easy peasy, lemon squeezy." Lola gets her stockings muddy in a game of puddles. She gets wet playing at the water tray and spills pink milk on her clothes at lunch. While painting with her friend Lotta, she gets handprints on her face. She's neither tidy nor clean in the school picture taken with Charlie, but her big brother knows what to do. Together they make a collage of Lola from old photos, and the resulting image shows off her great smile. The illustrations are clever collages of Charlie and Lola, taken from the TV animation and arranged with other cut-outs, photos of real objects, and patterned papers. The colors are bright and the contrast is appealing. The text is based on the TV script. Words are sometimes large, sometimes bold, and sometimes wiggly. Children will identify with Lola and remember times when an older sibling made things right. Pair this story with Lynne Plourde's School Picture Day (Dutton, 2002) to lighten the tensions children feel before the event.—Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN
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