Review - The Thing Lou Couldn't Do

The Thing Lou Couldn't Do
by Ashley Spires
Date: 2017
Publisher: Kids Can Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

An endearing story about a little girl who doesn’t think she can.

“Up there! The tree can be our ship!” one of Lou’s friends exclaims when they decide to play pirates. “Ummm …” responds Lou. Usually she loves adventures. But this is new. Lou has never climbed a tree before. And she knows she can’t do it. She doesn’t even want to try.

But this adventure does look fun, and when all her excuses run out, Lou realizes the bravest adventurers are those who TRY. An inspiring lesson for anyone who’s ever avoided something hard.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I'm a little bit torn by this one. Although it has very cute illustrations, a nice narrative, and a decent message, it could also be viewed as somewhat problematic.

Lou and her friends have all sorts of imaginative adventures together. But when they decide to play pirates, they need a ship. Her friends suggest a tall tree in the backyard and scramble up it. The problem is, Lou hasn't climbed a tree before and doesn't know how. First, she makes all sorts of excuses as to why she can't climb the tree. Eventually, she gives it a try. And even though she can't do it, she at least gave it a shot (which is, I guess, the overall message of the book).

I think the problem I have is that Lou is smarter than her friends. If she doesn't want to engage in a dangerous activity (this was a tall tree with zero handholds all the way up), she shouldn't be forced to.

So, while I like the message about trying, I don't really like the message of overriding your own common sense to try to prove yourself to your friends. Maybe if the tree had been drawn to look a little less dangerous, I wouldn't have had as much of a problem with it. As it is, though, the drawings simply made Lou look like the only smart person in the book. (Well, sort of. It's probably not a smart idea to impair your depth perception with an eye patch right before you go and do something that requires good spatial ability... like trying to climb a tree.)

Quotable moment:

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.5 out of 5