Lulu and the Brontosaurus

( 12 )

Overview

Lulu's parents refuse to give in when she demands a brontosaurus for her birthday and so she sets out to find her own, but while the brontosaurus she finally meets approves of pets, he does not intend to be Lulu's.

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Lulu and the Brontosaurus

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More About This Book

Overview

Lulu's parents refuse to give in when she demands a brontosaurus for her birthday and so she sets out to find her own, but while the brontosaurus she finally meets approves of pets, he does not intend to be Lulu's.

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Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher
* "Pitch perfect for the beginning chapter-book crowd." —Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW

"Plenty of child-friendly humor. . . . This inventive, lighthearted fantasy should be a solid hit with young readers looking for a lively first chapter book." —School Library Journal

“Quite clever” –Booklist

Publishers Weekly
While no one can question Viorst and Smith’s street cred, they’ve turned in a curiously unaffecting chapter book. Lulu, a Louise Brooks look-alike, “was a pain--a very big pain--in the butt.” Given to “screech till the lightbulbs burst” when she doesn’t get her way, Lulu quickly wears down parental resistance to her whims. But when Lulu tries to turn a brontosaurus into a birthday pet, she discovers that there may be a creature who’s more willful (and far better mannered about it) than she is. Will Lulu spend the rest of her life as the dinosaur’s pet? Will this encounter turn her into a kinder, gentler kid? The plot and characters barely seems to matter--or act only as setups for Viorst’s irreverent, metafictional nudges. “Is that where a brontosaurus would live? In a forest? I’m afraid that I’m not absolutely sure. But since I’m the person writing this story, I’m putting this brontosaurus in a forest.” It’s an approach that’s made Smith and Jon Scieszka deservedly famous, but here--despite the fun to be had in seeing Lulu finally meet her match--it feels self-indulgent. Smith’s angular pencil illustrations bubble with arch humor, but it’s not enough to rescue this effort. Ages 6–10. (Sept.)
Children's Literature - Carrie Hane Hung
Whatever Lulu wants, Lulu gets ... but will she get what she wants this time? Until now, she has always succeeded in obtaining what she wants from her parents by throwing tantrums. This time, she wants a pet brontosaurus for her birthday. Despite her screeching and kicking, her parents have drawn the line: No pet brontosaurus! So, Lulu decides to head into the forest and get a brontosaurus on her own. She has quite an adventure as she meets a snake, a tiger, and a bear before finding her brontosaurus; the animals don't realize they are up against Lulu. Throughout the story, the author's hilarious anecdotes that remind readers that she selects the way she wants to tell the story. Here, she even gives three different endings. Smith's pencil-and-textured rubbing illustrations show amusing, comical expressions on the faces of the characters. Younger children will enjoy hearing the story read aloud. Beginning readers will find the story to be light and funny. Reviewer: Carrie Hane Hung
School Library Journal
Gr 1–4—Viorst and Smith introduce a spoiled young lady who wants a brontosaurus for her birthday. With her lightbulb-shattering screeches, Lulu is used to getting her way, but her parents refuse this request. After four days of screaming, she tells her parents, "foo on you," packs a small suitcase, and sets off into the forest. After getting the best of a snake, tiger, and bear, she meets a brontosaurus. He, however, decides that she will be his perfect pet. While this story follows a familiar cautionary-tale story line, Lulu is both determined and surprisingly resourceful (her small suitcase contains pickle sandwiches and an astonishing amount of stuff). Viorst's narrative is appropriately arch: "since I'm the person writing this story, I get to choose what I write." There's plenty of child-friendly humor, and Smith's droll, exaggerated pencil drawings on pastel paper deftly add to the fun. The pinheaded brontosaurus is irresistible and reminiscent of Syd Hoff's beloved dinosaur from the "Danny and the Dinosaur" series (HarperCollins). This inventive, lighthearted fantasy should be a solid hit with young readers looking for a lively first chapter book.—Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA
Kirkus Reviews

Viorst, better known within the children's-book world for picture books than novels, flexes her muscles and introduces readers to delightfully obnoxious, fit-throwing Lulu, a spoiled only child prone to indulging in over-the-top temper tantrums to get what she wants. And what she wants now is a brontosaurus for her birthday. Her long-suffering parents finally put their collective feet down and refuse. Lulu's antics do no good this time, so she heads into the woods to find a dinosaur herself. In short chapters interspersed with funny narrative asides and whimsical black-and-white illustrations, readers follow Lulu as she heads into the woods, faces off with some ferocious animals and finally finds the brontosaurus, who decides he'd rather have Lulu as his pet than be hers! Lulu won't survive this adventure without some serious changes in her behavior. Dinosaurs, it turns out, are fond of good manners. The glib narrator provides not one but three endings for readers to choose from. Even so, they still won't have had enough of Lulu. Pitch perfect for the beginning chapter-book crowd. (Fiction. 6-10)

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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781416999621
  • Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
  • Publication date: 4/3/2012
  • Pages: 128
  • Age range: 6 - 10 Years
  • Product dimensions: 5.20 (w) x 9.00 (h) x 0.50 (d)

Meet the Author

Judith Viorst is the author of many books for children, including the classic Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and its sequels. She lives with her husband, Milton, in Washington, D.C.

Lane Smith is the Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator of The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. He also wrote and illustrated Madam President, John, Paul, George & Ben, and It’s a Book, which were all New York Times bestsellers. He lives with book designer Molly Leach in rural Connecticut and can be visited at LaneSmithBooks.com.

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Read an Excerpt

There once was a girl named Lulu, and she was a pain. She wasn’t a pain in the elbow. She wasn’t a pain in the knee. She was a pain—a very big pain—in the butt.

Now, Lulu was an only child, and her mom and her dad gave her everything she wanted. And guess what? Lulu wanted EVERYTHING. Tons of candy. Tons of toys. Tons of watching tons of cartoons on TV. And if her mom and her dad ever said (and they hardly ever said it), “Sorry, darling, we think you’ve had enough,” Lulu would screech till the lightbulbs burst and throw herself down on the floor, and then she would kick her heels and wave her arms. And pretty soon her mom and her dad would say, “Well, just this once,” and let her have whatever it was she wanted.

© 2010 Judith Viorst

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 12 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(7)

4 Star

(4)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

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1 Star

(1)

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Sort by: Showing all of 12 Customer Reviews

  • Posted September 18, 2010

    A Great Lesson for Kids

    Lulu was an only child who was use to getting her way. Her birthday was coming and she wanted a brontosaurus for a pet. When her parents told her that she may not have a brontosaurus she screeched till the light bulbs burst and threw herself on the ground where she kicked and waved her arms. Normally, this would persuade her parents to give in, but not that time. Lulu packed her bags and storms out of the house in search of her brontosaurus. As her journey begins and progresses Lulu learns some valuable lessons and grows-up along the way.

    This book was very easy to read and had excellent illustrations. I would recommend this book as a transition for children who are starting to read chapter books in 1st and 2nd grade. Overall, the theme of the story is to treat others the way you would like to be treated which is a valuable lesson for kids at any age.

    2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted November 5, 2011

    GREAT!!!!!

    An exiting and funny book great for all ages!


    V V tina

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 2, 2013

    Dumb

    Hate it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 5, 2013

    !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Ohmygosh!I've only read a bit of this,but it's still awesome!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted December 18, 2012

    LULU

    Lulu is an only child that wants her way.She will screech till the lightbulbs go out and throws fits with kicking and screaming. She wants a brontosaurous for a pet but her parents say no so she goes out of the house and looks for a brontosaurous.It is a good book for all ages and it teaches kids a lesson not to screech and throw fits while kicking and screaming.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted November 29, 2012

    UMMMMM.........

    I got this book and somehow also got "lulu walks the dog"

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted June 13, 2012

    Perfect book for the reader who is just starting to read chapter books

    This book has wonderful illustrations for that reader who still needs visuals. It is a circle story that works its way back to the beginning. It is a great story with a good moral.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted January 30, 2011

    Highly Recommended!

    I fell in love with Judith Viorst's Lulu and the Brontosaurus! It is a good book for a group of children learning to read chapter books and an ideal book for children who love to have someone read aloud to them. The illustrations added greatly to the story and plot. My fourth graders and I read it in one sitting, and the humor kept their attention from start to finish. I knew my students were "into" the book because of their giggles and the way the work appealed to their fourth grade collective sense of humor. The main character, Lulu, changes from the beginning to the end from a spoiled, bad mannered, ill-tempered child to one who has learned more appropriate manners when dealing with others. Lulu even learns the "P Word" or "please" throughout this work. I felt like the author, while telling the story, also inserts several "asides" as if she were there with my students and me reading the book with us! This was a charming and helpful feature! My students LOVED the choice of three endings, and my students voted on their favorite ending as a group. I highly recommend this book for all!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 12, 2013

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted December 14, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 8, 2012

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 7, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

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