Reviews:

“Lulu’s a fun-loving dog who flunks out of police-dog school only to discover that being herself is the greatest achievement of all.

Though Lulu is shunted into police-dog training because of her good sniffing skills, it quickly becomes clear that she is not a good fit for the work, despite well-meaning intervention and persistent effort. The “free spirit” is simply unable to perform the required doggy tasks. Lulu’s true place is in a home with a family—her handler’s, as it turns out. Throughout, the author is careful not to refer to the playful, happy Lulu in the pejorative—and this may seem a small point at first, but it is really the most important part of this joyful story. The one mention of “failure” is handled carefully: When the police-dog trainer exhorts Lulu to “be more like other dogs? You don’t want to fail, do you?” Lulu despairs, as she “had not known a dog could fail at anything.” Children weighed down by the conformist pressures of school, sports, and other activities will see that there are other ways to find one’s place in the world. The artwork is bright and dynamic, with lots of frenetic doggy movement; Lulu’s handler and her family present black; the police-dog trainer presents white.

Children will cheer for Lulu and learn the importance of being themselves. (Picture book. 4-8)”—Kirkus Review

“Very Lulu: The (Mostly) True Story of a Training School Dropout is a hilarious dog that cannot seem to control her energy and passion. Lulu loves her love, and she loves her family. However, she just cannot seem to stay out of trouble. In order to help try to teach Lulu how to obey and be calm, her owner enrolls her into training school at the Police Dog Academy. Lulu struggles start immediately. No matter how hard the officer and her owner try to train her, Lulu just cannot stop being.... Lulu. As Lulu starts to figure out her obedience school instructions, her owner starts to notice that Lulu's happiness and joy seem to be gone. Her heart breaks as she yearns to have her old Lulu back. It doesn't take long for Lulu's handler to know that she made a mistake, and she knows exactly what she needs to do to fix it. Children of all ages will enjoy watching Lulu up to her wild antics. They will celebrate with her joy at the end of this heartwarming tale. Lulu is a figure of all things individuality, and she will shine as she encourages her young readers to always be true to themselves.”—NetGallery

Review: “It can be hard to make friends when your personalities clash.

McAvoy’s friendship tale features two girls who recount how they learned to be friends and bonded over their personality differences. Cookie is a brown girl who loves science, and Milk is a white girl who loves sports. The girls banter back and forth, recalling how they discovered they have fun playing together—especially when they use their complementary personalities to accomplish something awesome! If Milk wants to skate, then Cookie is in the background helping her reach her fullest potential by building a ramp, for instance. Throughout the book, early readers will love guessing what Milk’s younger brother is trying to communicate (he also slyly breaks the fourth wall) when he introduces fans to exciting new science words such as “engine’s ear!”—er, “engineer.” Caregivers will also find helpful starter questions to ask when exploring differences with their kids. Those questions provide a framework within which young readers may learn to value and accept differences in themselves and others. Even after the story, readers are provided with a list of powerhouse women who were either “smart” or “sporty,” and a glossary of words encourages supportive friendships. Gibson’s simple, cartoon illustrations playfully remind girls that there are universal commonalities in sisterhood.

Smart, sassy, supportive girl power to the max! (Picture book. 3-6)”— Kirkus Review

Review: “A baby pig insists on joining the story of the Three Little Pigs in this entertaining padded board book. “What are you going to build your house out of, baby pig?” asks the accommodating narrator. “Blocks,” replies the pig, dressed in a T-shirt and propeller beanie. Those blocks come in handy: after the wolf is unable to blow the pigs’ brick house down, he settles for building block towers with the baby pig (“Guess what! That ol’ wolf was only in a bad mood because he didn’t have any friends”). Crowe’s solid sense of humor and Gibson’s bright digital cartooning make this lightly irreverent retelling a winner. Up to age 5.” — Publishers Weekly